Ingredients
- 1 tart crust (11-inch)
- 150 ml pure maple syrup
- 100 g pecan halves
- 200 ml whole milk
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 10 ml bourbon (optional)
- 5 g sea salt
- 5 g vanilla powder
Method
- Preheat to 340°F. Toast pecans 5 minutes, roughly chop.
- Whisk egg yolks with vanilla powder and salt; slowly add cream and milk.
- Heat maple syrup until fragrant (2 min); fold into egg mixture with bourbon.
- Scatter pecans in crust; pour custard over.
- Bake 50–55 minutes until edges set, center trembles slightly. Cool 2 hours.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 180 g white sugar
Conversion used: Replace white sugar with 150 ml maple syrup; reduce oven temp to 340°F (−25°F from standard 365°F) to prevent custard curdling from syrup's hygroscopic nature and darker caramelization.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple's caramel notes and mineral content (calcium, potassium) enrich custard body; Quebec syrup pairs authentically with native North American pecans.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →