Maple Pecan Pie

Steps

1. Make the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces, 8 to 10 pulses. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of ice water and pulse just until the dough clumps when squeezed, adding up to 2 more tablespoons only if it stays dry and crumbly. Turn out onto plastic wrap, press into a flat disk, wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
2. Roll and fit: On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle about ⅛-inch thick. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate (roll it around the pin, then unroll it over the plate) and ease it into the corners without stretching. Trim the overhang to 1 inch, tuck it under to form a thick rim, and crimp decoratively. Freeze the lined plate for 20 to 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 1 hour, until the dough is firm.
3. Blind-bake the crust: Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower third. Line the chilled crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift out the weights and parchment and prick the bottom all over with a fork (this is called docking, and it keeps the base from puffing). Return to the oven and bake until the bottom is dry and just beginning to turn pale gold, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool the crust slightly and reduce the oven to 350°F.
4. Toast the pecans: While the crust bakes, spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the 350°F oven until deeply fragrant and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once halfway. Cool for a few minutes, then roughly chop a small handful and leave the rest whole — the mix of textures is part of the point.
5. Make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the extra yolk just until uniform and no streaks of white remain — do not beat to a foam, which makes the filling puff and then sink. Whisk in the brown sugar, dark corn syrup, maple syrup, kosher salt, vanilla, and bourbon until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the melted, slightly cooled butter last, in a slow stream, so it doesn't scramble the eggs.
6. Assemble the pie: Scatter the toasted pecans evenly over the bottom of the blind-baked crust. Slowly pour the filling over the pecans — they will float to the top as the pie bakes, which is exactly what you want.
7. Bake: Set the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are set and puffed while the very center still wobbles as one unit when you nudge the pan — a sloshy center means it needs more time; a stiff one means it's overbaked. The filling should read about 200°F in the center, well past the point where the eggs are fully cooked. If the crust rim darkens too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes.
8. Cool and serve: Cool the pie completely on a wire rack, at least 2 hours — the custard finishes setting as it cools, and slicing too soon makes it run. Serve at room temperature, or gently rewarm individual slices, topped with whipped cream and a pinch of flaky sea salt if you like.