Monday, November 14, 2011

Pie Week Day 2: Pecan Pie



I don’t live in the south.  I live in the west.  So pecan pie was not a staple of our Thanksgiving celebration until my sister April spent a couple of years living in Texas.  When she came home she brought a shoe box full of pecans and this recipe. 

We have been making pecan pie ever since.  And it is usually the first one gone.  

Be sure to look for light color pecans.  Pecans that are dark are often old.  You want the freshest you can get.   
Pecan Pie
from Sister Dot in Lampasas, Texas

¼ cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs slightly beaten
¾ cup Karo syrup
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 – 1 ½ cup pecans, mixture of pieces and halves

Stir together butter and sugar. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Fill pie shell.

Baking Options
Simple: Bake at 350 for 40–50 minutes.

Better filling: Preheat oven to 375. Put pie in oven and reduce heat to 275. Bake until filling is set about 60 minutes. (Sometimes this take 90 minutes for me, be patient.)

Divine bottom crust: Baking option 2 (for non-soggy bottom crust): Bake empty shell (filled with pie weights or beans) at 375 until dried out about 17 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for 10 minutes. Add filling and bake at 275 until set about 60 minutes. (Sometimes this takes 90 minutes for me, be patient.)