As a transplanted Southerner, she was a little skeptical that I could produce a pecan pie that was up to her standards. When I took John to school the Monday after Thanksgiving, she came up and hugged me and said that her grandmother was probably rolling in her grave but that was the best dang pecan pie she'd ever tasted, and would I make her one every year for the rest of her life? Evidently she'd forgotten to put the pie out after dinner and ended up digging in after her dinner guests had left, and wound up eating the entire pie herself over the course of the weekend (she reasoned that it has a lot of egg so it can count as a breakfast food, which I think is very sensible of her).
The following year, she hid the pie in the back of the downstairs refrigerator so she didn't have to share it with anybody. The year after that, her brother found the hidden pie and took a slice and got mad because she'd kept the good stuff for herself, and it sparked a family argument about all sorts of other things that had been brewing since they were kids; he stormed out (with pie) and has refused to come to Thanksgiving since.
After John started kindergarten, I continued the tradition of bringing her a pecan pie just before Thanksgiving. I missed one year, and every time I drove past the preschool for the next 12 months I felt vaguely guilty. This year I delivered the pie - literally straight from the oven - and missed her by 5 minutes; another staff member called her to come by on her way home from errands to get the pie, so I'm going to assume that she's enjoying it for breakfast even as I write this.
I love this pecan pie with the zeal of the converted. I thought I hated nuts until I was in my thirties, and when I finally discovered this recipe I was in Nut Heaven. I really don't like most pecan pies, since I hate the taste of corn syrup and I think most pecan pies are too sweet; if you have to scrape your teeth off afterwards, it's not really an enjoyable dessert. This recipe is simplicity itself: egg, sugar, nuts. If you've always thought that pecan pie is just so-so, please try this. Just be sure your brother does't open the downstairs fridge.
From My Personal Hero, Mark Bittman, in How to Cook Everything.
Pecan Pie
1 deep-dish pie crust shell (gluten-free pie crusts are excellent for this; when I make this for other people I buy the frozen pre-made ones because I make terrible pie crust)2 cups shelled pecans
5 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted (you can substitute dairy-free margarine; you'll lose some of the silky, buttery texture in the filling, but you'll be a hero to the dessert-deprived DF person in your life)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Prebake the pie crust (if you're using the pre-made frozen ones, follow the instructions on the package and skip this step).
Heat the oven to 375. While it's heating up, toast the pecans on a baking sheet - WATCH THESE CAREFULLY as they can burn really quickly and it's a pain to run out to the store for more. Let the pecans cool a bit and break them up a bit into smaller pieces.
Beat the eggs until they're foamy. Add the sugars and the melted butter, then cook in a medium saucepan until the eggs are hot to the touch, stirring frequently. You absolutely don't want the eggs to cook, so keep a close eye on them; it won't take long. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Put the pecans in the pie crust and pour the egg mixture over the top; you might want to stir it just a little bit very gently to make sure the nuts and egg are combined. You can also put the nuts into the pan, stir it up, and pour everything into the crust at once but I always end up with extra nuts at the bottom of the pan; since that's the best part, it's a shame to waste them. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, until the pie shakes like Jell-O but is still moist.
Cool on a rack and serve warm (!!!!) or at room temperature.
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