Pecan pie is requested every year in my family for holiday dessert. I don’t care for nuts, so I haven’t ever eaten it, but I’m the pie maker and pecan pie is one of my specialties.

Pecan pie is a Southern dessert, namely due to the fact that pecan trees grow in the Southern states. It is believed that the French first created pecan pie when they settled in Louisiana, using a staple of French cuisine, egg custard, and adding the pecans.

Most current pecan pie recipes call for corn syrup, but early recipes used sugar, molasses or maple syrup. I prefer the sugar recipe because it creates caramel-like custard to hold the pecans. The corn syrup recipes seem to be more gooey and syrupy.

Makes 1- 9 inch pie

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
¾ cup water
½ tsp salt
1 ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ stick unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp real Vanilla extract
2 cups pecan halves
1 9” pie crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk together eggs and water until well blended. Add brown sugar and salt; continue whisking. Add melted butter in slowly while continuing to mix, so as not to cook the eggs. Stir in vanilla and pecans.

Pour custard filling and pecan mixture into the pie shell. The pecans will float to the top. Place on cookie sheet and put in preheated oven, on middle rack, for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F. and bake until center of pie is set, about 60-70 minutes.

Allow pie to cool at least 30 minutes. This will give the custard time to fully set and ensure the sugars are cooled to a temperature safe to eat.

Variations:

The last few years I’ve been making chocolate bourbon pecan pie. My brothers repeatedly ask for that particular recipe, so it must be a winner. Just add 2 Tbs. good bourbon and ½ cup chocolate chips to the custard when you add the vanilla and pecans.

For a deeper nutty flavor try roasting your pecans before adding them to the custard. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with oil or cooking spray and spread pecans in a single layer on sheet. Cook for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F.