Pecan Pie

Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry
13/4  cups plain flour
pinch of salt
½ cup of butter
dry beans or rice for baking pie crust
For the filling
3 eggs 
good pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4  firmly packed cup dark brown sugar
4 tbsp light corn syrup
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecan kernels, plus 12 pecan halves
To Serve
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Mix the flour with a pinch of salt, then rub in the butter with your fingertips to a coarse sand consitency. Add iced water a little at a time, mixing first with a fork, then with your hand, until the mixture gathers into a dough. Be skimpy with the water.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F for 20 minutes before you bake the pie crust.
Grease an 8-9 in loosed bvased pie pan. Roll out the pastry to line the pan, pressing it gently into place with your fingers.
Run the rolling pin over the top of the tin to server the server the surplus pastry.
Prick the pie crust all over and line with foil. Fill with dry beans or rice and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and beans and bake for a further the oven and lower the oven heat to 350°F.
Meanwhille, to make the filling, beat the eggs lightly with the salt and vanilla extract, then beat in the sugar, syrup and melted butter. Finally mix in the chopped pecans.
Spread the mixture in the half baked pie crust and bake for 15 minutes, then take it from the oven and stud with the pecan halves in a circle.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until a thin metal skewer pushed gently into the center comes out clean, with no uncooked mixture attached. Cool the pie for 10-15 minutes and serve it warm with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Cook's Tip: For individual desserts you can serve Pecan Tartlets. just devide the crust into six parts and follow the same instructions. Check the center of the tartlets after 20 nibutes- as they are smaller they may cook more quikly.
Source: (The Around the World Cookbook)