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(formerly Mummy's Monday Manners)
THE Perfect Pecan Pie!
While baking this pecan pie, Fox Hall was filled with the most divine aroma, and as I took it out of the oven, I was suddenly surrounded by my grandchildren and family visiting. They watched me like a hawk, and nudged me to “hurry up and finish the photograph.” They couldn’t wait to have a piece of the warm pie. True confessions? I couldn’t wait either!
Thanksgiving is upon us and I have been requested to share my secret Pecan Pie recipe. It is absolutely divine and I have kept it close to my heart, never divulging it before! I am exceptionally “thankful” to you for subscribing, and for inspiring others as well. So, consider yourself a cherished friend because today, my secret recipe is now your secret recipe too!
For you, my darling “international audience,” I know you are aware that Pumpkin Pie is the traditional pie served at an American Thanksgiving. But did you know that Pecan Pie is truly an American creation, because pecans are native to our country and were propagated by Native Americans? Georgia is now the largest commercial grower of these nuts. It is debatable where the first recipe originated, most likely in Texas in the late 1800s. The recipe was published in 1898 for a church cookbook in St. Louis, but its popularity truly began in the 1920s when the manufacturer of Karo syrup printed the recipe on the bottle… and the rest is history!
Yes, there are negative connotations associated with corn syrup, but the dreamy combination of eggs, butter, vanilla, sugar, whole pecans, and yes, Karo syrup, is required for a traditional Pecan Pie. The substitutes, like maple syrup, just don’t make the grade in my opinion. So, prepare to indulge any time of year, because, unlike Pumpkin Pie, it is savored year-round.
Some variations to the recipe include adding chocolate, coconut, bourbon, or whiskey. But my secret variation, which I first developed as a young bride, is the addition of Grand Marnier liqueur. I still have a penchant for Grand Marnier!
I enjoy making this pie for my family and for many of my long-standing dinner-party guests who continue to request it…the ultimate compliment! It is a joy to make and present one as a hostess gift too because it can easily be frozen for future use.
Oh, one more tidbit for you. How do you pronounce the word “pecan?” There are several variants, including the most common mistake: PEE-can. Mummy told me, “ A 'PEE-can' is something you place under the bed,” if you understand what I mean! So, if you make my yummy pie recipe, here is how to correctly say “pecan” when you serve it: I hope you enjoy my “Pee-KAHN” Pie!
Holly’s Perfect Pecan Pie
You will need one 9” unbaked pie shell. You can make a pie crust, or simply buy a Pillsbury rolled-up pie crust in the refrigerated area of the grocery store, and place it in a 9” pie plate…. easy-peasy.
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup DARK Karo corn syrup, which is half of a bottle. Karo is found near the maple syrup.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ or 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur (or more!)
1 or 1 ½ tablespoons of orange rind, finely grated (a must ingredient to complement the Grand Marnier)
¼ cup melted butter (salted)- only use butter!
¼ teaspoon granulated salt
1 ½ cup whole pecans
In a bowl, add the sugar and Karo syrup to the beaten eggs. Then, add the salt, vanilla, Grand Marnier, melted butter, and the grated orange rind to the egg mixture. Best to mix by hand with a whisk or spoon, and don’t overbeat it to avoid foam on top of the pie.
Place the pecans evenly on the bottom of the pie crust, and pour the filling mixture over the nuts. The nuts will rise to the top.
I use a child’s silver fork to score the unbaked pie crust edges. When I poured the pecans in, one of my decorative fall “pheasants” hopped in! I use him to garnish hors d’oeuvres platters during Thanksgiving, but he obviously wanted his picture taken with my pie before I baked it!
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Start checking the pie at 35 minutes, and depending on your oven, it may take 45-50 minutes to get a desirable brown on the pecans!
Serve warm! You may add a dollop of whipped cream made with Grand Marnier instead of vanilla…I told you I adore it!
Grandmillennial Tips:
If you buy the Pillsbury pie crust, unroll it, place it in the 9” pie plate, fold over and crimp or score the edges so that the crust looks homemade. I usually press the edge with the tines of a small fork, for that added “home-made-ness” appearance! And, if you want to, brush some beaten egg yolk along the uncooked pie crust edges. This adds a golden glow to the crust once the pie is baked.
The pie is done when the pecans are medium or toasty brown, but NEVER burned.
There should be a slight jiggle to the center of the pie when removing it from the oven.
I prefer to use a glass or a pretty porcelain pie plate versus a metal one.
To give an attractive appearance when presenting the pie on the sideboard, or while serving it at the dinner table, I place the pie in a silver pie dish.
When I give a pie as a hostess gift, I either purchase a new glass pie plate and give that along with the pie, or I use a disposable tin pie plate. Either way, I do not want to impose on the gift recipient to have to return the plate back to me!
Serve your pecan pie warm, and offer a dollop of whipped cream with it. Oh, Yummm!
I hope you enjoy my secret recipe. I would love to see photographs of your Pecan Pie at Thanksgiving, or for that matter, any time of year!
XX Holly
P.S. Please be a dear…share this with a friend and inspire them to subscribe!