Baking

• Start paying attention to the pie's appearance during the baking process. Make sure that your crust is rolled out to an even thickness and into just the right shape to be centered in the pan. One good way to do that is to roll out the dough (if you make a little more than you need, you'll have plenty of margin for error), then place the pie pan upside-down on the flat dough. Cut a circle at a uniform distance from the edge of the rim, two inches at least.
  Flip the pan over and adjust the crust dough to fit. Trim the dough to the edge of the pan all the way around, then crimp the edges in a uniform pattern. Use a fork to keep the pattern even, or curl the dough around something like a chopstick.
  When pouring the pie filling, bear in mind that pouring too little will result in unsightly, excess crust. Pouring too much, however, makes it likely that some will splash up around the edge while you carry it to the oven, or that it will boil over to create burnt, sugary splotches. Pour just enough filling into the pan and carry your pie carefully to the oven.
  Before baking, you can add a little visual appeal to the top of your pie by laying out a pattern on the top using halved, upright pecans, rather than letting the pecans in the filling fall where they may. Also, take time at this point to pop any large air bubbles in the custard to keep them from baking in place.
  Finally, while the pie is baking, keep an eye on it to make sure the edge of the crust does not burn or become overly brown. Don't bake the pie too close to the top heating element and, if necessary, mist the edge with a small amount of water periodically. Some bakers put thin strips of foil over the edge of the crust for part of the baking time to prevent over-browning.
  
  

Presenting Whole Pies

• When determining visual presentation for a whole pie, you should decide how much of the top of the pie you want to leave visible and what ingredients, if any, you will use to garnish. You may find that the pie top looks most appetizing and attractive if left alone. However, if you choose to garnish, try a large dollop of whipped cream in the center of the pie, or several dollops placed to indicate the centers of the individual pie slices. For the most shapely and uniform dollops, use a can of spray whipped cream. You can also add slices of pecan, a dusting of crumbled pecan, or both.
  
  

Slices

• Although it's easy to create a tasty piece of pecan pie, this messy recipe is a bit more difficult to slice in a visually neat and tidy manner. A good way to help create clean slices is to chill the pie for several hours in the refrigerator before slicing. Be sure to use a good, sharp knife and a pie server to keep the crust from breaking or crumbling.
  Once the slice of pie is served, you can add any garnishes to the top of the slice or just to the side of the pie.
  Serve pecan pie on a dark colored plate if at all possible. That will provide contrast to the paleness of the crust and any whipped cream.