Butterscotch pecan slab pie

Spread the pecan halves out and toast in a 350F oven, timer set for 10 minutes; they were done a couple of minutes early.

Take the chilled rectangle of pastry from the fridge a few minutes, beat it with the rolling pin to about half an inch, then roll lengthwise and crosswise, using a bench scraper to handle it.

Roll until there is an inch to an inch and a half of clearance all around the baking slab; roll it onto the pin and unroll into the slab without stretching.

Press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides, patching thin spots with trimmed overhang, and pat it down for good contact.

Freeze until very firm, then trim cold with a paring knife held flush with the top, slicing rather than dragging, for clean edges and flaky layers. Heat the oven to 400F.

Dock the bottom, line with foil to the sides and corners, fill with pie weights and press to compact.

Par-bake at 400F, a little over 20 minutes, until the edge browns.

Drop the oven to 300F, lift out the foil and weights, prick any puffed areas, and bake again until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden.

In a saucepan on medium, combine the Demerara sugar, butter, about half the cream and the corn syrup; bring to a boil stirring to dissolve the sugar, then cook until it darkens from blonde to a medium gold.

Crack the eggs into a bowl, not into the saucepan, where they would curdle.

Off the heat, stir in the remaining half cup of cream; whisk the butterscotch gradually into the eggs, then add the rest.

Whisk in the vanilla, salt, cocoa and instant coffee until the coffee dissolves.

Press any shrunken crust back up the walls, scatter the pecans over the bottom and pour in the filling to the top edge; about three quarters of a cup was held back.

Bake at 300F about 20 minutes, until the filling is puffed all across the surface with some light bubbling.

Optionally bake the leftover filling mixed with pecans in a ramekin as a cook's snack.

Lift the pie out to cool on a cooling rack, slice into squares, and return it to the slab to serve.