Toast pecans in a skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, ground toasted pecans finely in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade.

Switch to the plastic dough blade. Add flour, sugar and salt to the food processor bowl. Pulse to mix. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the pecans off the side and bottom of the bowl.

Add cubed cold butter to the flour mixture. Pulse several times until butter is about pea and bean size. Variations in size are okay.

Turn the food processor to “on” position and drizzle cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole, as soon as the dough starts to pull together turn the food processor off. You may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to mix up the flour at the bottom.

Turn the dough out on a working surface lined with a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a disk. Wrap well and rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Take the disk of pie dough out of the fridge and roll into a circle about 2” larger than your pie dish. Use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter and roller.

Carefully place the dough over the pie dish, lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the pie dish, let the excess dough hang over the side.

Trim some of the excess dough if necessary to create an even edge, leaving just enough to fold under and create a fluted edge.

Cover the pie dish with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated or freeze for 15 - 30 minutes.

Once the pie dough has hardened or frozen solid, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Dock the bottom and sides of the pie dough with a fork.

Place a large piece of parchment paper over the pie dough, place pie weights on top or pour dry beans on top to fill the whole pie crust. Make sure the parchment is large enough to cover the edges of the crust entirely.

Bake pie crust for 25 minutes with pie weights or beans.

At this point you can remove pie weights and parchment paper.

Fill the pie crust with whatever filling you’re using and continue baking according to that particular recipe instructions.

Or continue baking the crust to completion, an additional 5 - 10 minutes, to be used in pie recipes that don’t require further baking of the filling, such as cream pie.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.