The recipe can fit into 8-inch round tart pan. I only have a rectangle 14 x 4.5 inch tart pan and it works too. Grease the pan with some softened butter
Prepare the crust:
Break the graham crackers into fine crumbs using a food processor or simply put them in a zipper bag and gently crush and roll them with a rolling pin into fine crumbs
Combine with melted butter and cinnamon to resemble a wet sand texture. Press this mixture onto the base of the pie plate or pan. Make sure you pack them in tight. Chill in the fridge while you work on the rest
Prepare the pecan caramel filling:
Toast the pecans on a dry pan over medium heat until they are aromatic. Let them cool down completely and then cut them into small chunks
Whisk the egg yolks with 50 grams of sugar with a balloon whisk until they are pale and creamy
Add 100 grams of sugar on a non-stick pan along with water. Let the sugar slowly melts over medium-low heat until it reaches light honey color. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the yolk mixture to combine everything. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Add the pecans and continue to cook and stir until the mixture just started to thicken up. Remove from the heat. Don't cook for too long as the mixture will continue to harden
Pour this over the prepared crust. Spread them out evenly. Let it cool down a bit and then put it back into the fridge while you prepare the ganache
Prepare the ganache:
Bring a small pot of water to a gentle simmer. Place a heat-proof bowl on top of the pot. Put the chocolate and whipping cream in the bowl and let the chocolate melts but you still see some visible chocolate. Remove from the heat and keep stirring until all the chocolate melts
Pour and spread this evenly over the pie. Refrigerate again
On the day you plan to serve the pie, prepare the meringue:
The meringue is prepared using Swiss method, which creates a very stable fluffy marshmallowy meringue. You can use the same pot of water you use to melt the chocolate. Put the egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a grease-free bowl. Whisk over simmering water for about 4 minutes or until all sugar dissolves. You can rub the mixture in between your fingers. You shouldn't feel any grains of sugar, if you do, whisk a bit longer over the simmering water
Once all the sugar melts, remove it from the water bath and use a mixer to whip over medium speed, add the vanilla extract halfway and continue to whip until you get a stiff peak that will droop slightly when you lift up the whisk
Pile the meringue on top of the tart decoratively. You can use an offset spatula to create some attractive peaks. There is no hard and fast rule here. Let your inner artist out ;)
If you have a blow torch, you can torch the meringue slightly (sooo good!! when you do that!). If you don't have one, not a big deal, it's still a very tasty pie!
Serve the pie on the same day it is made if possible
How to store leftovers:
Simply keep it in air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days max. The meringue won't be as airy as it was the longer you keep, but it should be just fine.