Monday, November 21, 2016

Must-Have Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving

My Mother was a wonderful pie maker. I wish I could say I learned everything I know about pies from her. The sad truth is I wasn't much of a pie person growing up. I wanted cake. I thought cake was the height of sophistication and elegance, the darling of the dessert tray. My Mom was not a cake baker.

But when it comes to pecan pie, there was one important lesson I learned from my Mom:

The best pecan pies in the world all have one thing in common: they don't stint on pecans!

This pie may or may not sound like it has a lot of pecans, but I promise you, it does. So now that you know the secret of a good pecan pie, here's a recipe my Mom enjoyed when she came to our home for Thanksgiving.

1/2 recipe Pie Crust in a 9" pie pan
4 eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup pecan halves


Preheat oven to 350F.

Place pan with pie crust on a cookie sheet.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add everything except the pecans (and the topping); eggs-salt. Stir then add the pecans.

Pour mixture into the crust and bake 40 minutes on the cookie sheet.

While the pie is baking, make the topping.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat combine all the topping ingredients except for the nuts. Cook 2-3 minutes stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the nuts and remove from heat.

When the pie has baked 40 minutes, remove it from the oven and carefully spread topping over pie.

Bake pie for 10-15 minutes longer. Topping should be bubbly and golden brown.

Cool pie completely before serving. Serve with whipped cream spiced with a touch of bourbon if desired.


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