Choc Chip Pecan Pie

1. First make the pastry: tip the flour, cream cheese, icing sugar and butter into a food processor with ¼ tsp salt and blend until it resembles breadcrumbs. With the blade running, drizzle in 2 to 3 tsp cold water until it starts to clump, then tip out, knead briefly into a ball, pat into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
2. Leave the pastry at room temperature for 5 minutes, then roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use to line a deep 23cm fluted tin, pressing into the corners and up the sides with no gaps and leaving 1cm overhanging (save the scraps). Line with scrunched baking parchment and baking beans and blind-bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the sides are set, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 5 minutes more until golden. Trim the pastry flush with the tin and patch any cracks with the scraps.
3. Meanwhile, put the butter, maple syrup and sugars in a pan with ¼ tsp salt and heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring until smooth, then remove and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the syrup mixture, vanilla and pecans, and mix well. Pour half into the tart case, scatter over half the chocolate chips, then cover with the remaining filling and chips. Bake on the middle shelf for 50 to 55 minutes until set.
5. Leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Blind-bake the pastry thoroughly; a properly crisp base is what stops the gooey filling soaking in.
• Let the syrup mixture cool before you beat in the eggs, otherwise they will start to scramble.
• Stir some of the chocolate chips through the filling rather than tipping them all in, so they do not just sink.
• Chill the finished pie before slicing and you will get clean, tidy wedges.