Pecan nut pie

1. PASTRY: Sieve flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture using a palette knife. Rub in butter with your fingertips, until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk and lemon juice together, and add to pastry, mixing until pastry forms a smooth ball. Dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Relax in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove from fridge and roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface (keep rolling pin well floured, as the pastry easily becomes sticky). Line a 20 cm flan ring (with a loose bottom) with the pastry, pressing pastry carefully into bottom and sides of the pan. Trim edges, and place in freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 190 ºC.
4. Prick bottom of the chilled pie shell with a fork, and line with tissue paper (I use shoe box tissue paper). Fill with baking beans, and bake until pastry is well set. Remove paper and beans and return to oven to continue baking for another 5 to 8 minutes (don’t allow pastry to brown). Remove pie shell from oven and lower oven temperature to 180 ºC.
5. FILLING: Dissolve sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over a low heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Bump up the heat, cook sugar to a light caramel colour, and remove pan immediately from heat, cool slightly. (Once caramel is at the correct stage, it is important to remove pan from heat or caramel will continue cooking and become bitter.)
6. Cover your hand with a tea towel, and whisk in cream. (The tea towel wrapped around your hand prevents splashed up caramel froth burning you.) Allow mixture to cool completely.
7. Whisk the eggs. Gradually add the cooled caramel mixture to eggs. Scatter pecan nuts in prepared pie shell, and pour over the rest of the filling. Bake until filling is set and pastry is golden brown – 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.