Texas has a habit of making things official. The pecan became the state tree in 1919, the state nut in 2001, and in 2013 the legislature completed the set by naming pecan pie the state pie. A state that honors one tree three times was always going to bake it into something. The oldest printed pecan pie recipe yet found dates from 1886, and the version most Americans know, sweetened with corn syrup, spread through the country in the 1930s.

A good one has three layers that sort themselves out in the oven with no help from you: a crisp crust, a dark and gently set caramel custard, and a crunchy roof of toasted nuts. It must cool for a couple of hours to set, so it is the sort of dessert that rewards planning. Bake it on the morning of the United States Grand Prix and it will be ready, and properly sliceable, by the time the cars take the checkered flag.

The butter crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (160 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 8 tablespoons (115 g) cold unsalted butter
• 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

The pecan filling

Ingredients

• 2 cups (200 g) pecan halves
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (240 ml) light corn syrup
• 2/3 cup (140 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

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