maple pecan tart

love is cool and awesome. 

and i am in love with maple syrup. 

maple. such a godly flavor. that accompanies any decent breakfast.

yes bacon. i want maple syrup on it.
oatmeal? yea, sneak a little bit in there.

eggs? i dunno, sure why not......woops it spilled all over my eggs! <act bummed. ah man. (muahaa yess. nice move!)>

but now, maple is taking full-on center stage. it totally deserves it.

gooey sugary food comfort.

maple loves being with nuts. use walnuts or use pecans, you're call. toasted pecans are the nut love of my life so that was no tough decision.

and as for you aunt jemimah, you seem like a cool aunt, but go away.

Maple Pecan Tart

adapted from the Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser

*the original recipe made a 9x13 inch pan of bars. i wanted to serve it in slices so i used two 9 inch pie/tart pans. 

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

zest of half an orange

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup maple syrup

2 large eggs

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chopped pecans

heat the oven to 350. to make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and zest in a bowl. slice the butter into cubes and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or your fingertips. press onto the bottom and up the sides of two 9 inch pie/tart pans or 9x13 inch pan (to make bars). bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the edges begin to brown. let cool. 

for the filling, combine all the ingredients expect the pecans in a bowl and mix until smooth. pour into the cooled crust. distribute the nuts evenly over the top. bake until the filling is set, about 30 minutes. cool on a rack before cutting.