Put flour, butter, icing sugar, and salt in a large bowl and combine the dry ingredients with your fingers until you reach the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.If you're lucky enough to have a food processor, put everything in there and pulse until fine crumbs form. Mix together the egg yolks and water and add to the dry ingredients.
Knead until the dough just comes together into a ball and there's nothing left in your bowl.Or if you're using the food processor, pulse until a dough forms, around 10 seconds. Wrap the pastry in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax before rolling.
While you wait for the dough to relax, chop half of your pecans and leave the rest whole to put them on top of your pie.
Combine the egg yolks, syrup, brown sugar, butter and cream in a bowl.
Add in the pecans and whisk until well combined.
Once your dough has rested, preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and start rolling on a floured surface to fit a 9 inch pie dish. A good thickness is 1/4 inch.
Roll the dough over your rolling pin, until it’s fully wrapped around. Unroll the dough over the dish, centering it.Roll the excess dough on the edges in and under towards the dish, like a sleeping bag. Use your fingers to press the dough, sealing it to create a thick outer crust.Crimp the dough, making a “v” with two fingers one hand on the outside of the pie crust and the index finger of the opposite hand to make an indent in the pie crust. Repeat around the pie until the entire crust is crimped. Pour the pecan mix into your prepared pie shell and add on top the whole pecans.
Bake the pie for 30 minutes or until the center of the filling is a little wobbly in the middle and just set around the edges.
Let the pie cool and then enjoy it!