go nuts

Today was my friend Heith's birthday. (Happy Birthday Heith!) He had a pot luck dinner/party, so I took my famous pecan pie. I made this on Thanksgiving, and it ended up undercooked (Since I use the oven so rarely, I'm only now learning that my gas oven seems to cook slower than recipes call for). I may have overcooked tonight's a little in an effort to overcompensate. I only had a taste of someone elses, so I don't really know!

This was a recipe that Mom used and we always loved, so years ago I got it from her. Tonight I couldn't find my recipe, so I called her for it. It turns out that she got the recipe from Ann Landers. I'll post it below, but here are my slight twists on it to make it just a little better: First off, when mixing the ingredients, make that dash of Vanilla a pretty huge dash - more like a pour! I end up using more then double the amount of pecans that are called for. I mix in the called for amount. Then after pouring that into the pie shell, I load more pecans directly into the pie. I keep putting more and more in until when you push down on the top layer of pecans, They don't dip down much into the gook because the shell is so full of pecans that theres nowhere for them to go. I like a pecan pie where the gook is only between the pecans, not a layer of gook topped by a layer of pecans. And finally, I cook the pie longer than called for. Watch til the top just slightly begins to burn and carmelize. That very slight burned pecan taste is the finishing touch. (by the way, the pics above are before cooking!)

Heres the recipe as written by Ann Landers (and Mom!):
1 Cup White Corn Syrup
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Melted Butter
1 Cup Pecans (heaping Cup)
3 Eggs, Beaten
Dash of Vanilla
Pinch of Salt

Mix ingredients well.
Pour into unbaked 9" pastry shell.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.