…and all through the land not a soul was yet stirring, I blame broadband.
Bam! - just like that it’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving and that holiday feast isn’t going to cook itself. We’ve been at this for over 10 years now and over that time I’ve shared almost all my old standby holiday recipes with you. Some of the holiday recipes I’ve posted are very, very old indeed (Mom’s Souper Sloppy Joes and Mom’s Goulash for holiday-eve repasts) some just old old (my Best Ever Banana Bread and White Bean Chili) and some are relatively new (my sister’s irresistible breakfast Pear Gruyere Strata). This one is from my other sister; it’s a very special family holiday tradition around here: pecan pie.
Believe it or not there are some people in my family who don’t like pecan pie, for them there’s mincemeat and pumpkin - also made by my sisters. The mincemeat pie is a very fine rendition of the genre and the pumpkin is as good as it gets. But when I only have room for one my holiday go-to is always the pecan, smothered with whipped cream because pecan pie is not quite rich enough on its own.
If you are a pecan pie maker you will note that this version is a bit fussier than most and contains an ingredient that you don’t often see in modern pecan pie recipes: milk or cream (I use half and half, but I think my sister uses milk, don’t think it really matters). All I’m going to say that this is THE. MOST. WONDERFUL. PIE. ON. EARTH. Prove me wrong:
Not my pie, but trust we yours will look just like this…with the possible exception of the perfectly crimped crust.
Terry’s Pecan Pie Recipe
1 unbaked 9” pie shell
½ c. light brown sugar
½ c. soft butter
¾ c. sugar
3 eggs
¼ tsp salt
¼ c. corn syrup
½ c. whole milk or light cream
1 c. (5 oz.) coarsely chopped pecans, plus 1/2 c. extra whole pecan halves (optional)
½ tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees
In a double boiler mix brown sugar and butter until well blended. Add the white sugar and mix well. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add salt, corn syrup, milk and mix well. Cook mixture over hot water for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from water . Add the nuts and vanilla. Pour into unbaked 9” pie crust and scatter the 1/2 c. whole pecans on top, if using.
Bake 1:05 hour in a 350 degree oven.
Note: #1 the pie filling will puff slightly while baking and shrink back when cooled.
Note #2: It’s quite alright to use a Pillsbury–just-unroll-pie –crust. Even my sister who can make a-mazing! pie crusts with her eyes shut uses them.
Yes, I know some people add chocolate to pecan pie but no, just no. Don’t do that.
And now it’s officially Thanksgiving open recipe day, post if you wish and feel free to do so all week.
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