If you ask my father-in-law, no holiday is complete without pecan pie. I have never been a fan. However, when I volunteered to make desserts for this year’s family gathering, I decided I would try to find a great recipe that reminded my husband’s father of the pies of his youth.
Magically, a recipe from the fantastic blog/podcast Splendid Table entered by Facebook feed just when I needed it. And it was vintage!
This recipe originally comes from The Jerre Anne Bake Shoppe in St. Joe, Missouri, which opened it’s doors in 1930. Proprietor Afra Lineberry (who went by the nickname Agee) used to make this pie for the trolley conductors who frequented her shop, as it was the last stop on the town’s trolley line. The shop was a huge success and in 1990, when it was run by Agee’s niece, it was churning out 625 pies just for Thanksgiving! So I figured it must be good!
And it was. Clayton and I both thought it was delicious… and I thought it was really easy to make. I had heard that its easy to overcook a pecan pie but in my research, I learned that you can tell the pie is ready when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. Unfortunately, my thermometer broke as I was taking the temperature of this pie! But I took it out when the filling stop jiggling excessively and sprung back to my touch-and it was fine.
One confession: I used a different pie crust for this recipe. I’ve included a link to my easy tried and true version-and the version I used, which comes from another great website/podcast from America’s Test Kitchen. It includes vodka as a secret ingredient and while I found that it was more labor-intensive, and frankly odd, to work with that dough, it did taste incredible. So, the crust is your choice!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar, not packed
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
Pie Crust for Dummies OR Vodka pie crust from America’s Test Kitchen OR Store bought crust
Instructions
Prepare your pie crust by placing it in a 9 inch pie pan, trimming the edges with a sharp knife, and crimping it between your forefinger and thumb
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the corn syrup, melted butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs, mixing well after each addition.
Arrange the pecans right side up in the unbaked pie shell, then gently pour the filling over them. The pecans will then float to the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling doesn’t jiggle much when you move the pie plate and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. You can also check the internal temperature to see if the pie has reach 200 degrees.
Cool to room temperature and enjoy!