How to Make Southern Pecan Pie

Southern cooking is indulgent, and traditional southern desserts are no exception. Based upon ingredients that every cook always had on hand, there's no dessert that says "southern cooking" quite as sumptuously as Pecan Pie.It's sweet and luscious, as rich as the history of the south and as deeply textured. It's also an easy creation for the home cook, probably because that's how it originated, with southern home cooks. A bit of this from the pantry, eggs from the chicken coop, a whole lot of pecans from the backyard and you have an incredible home for a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/3 cup pecan halves (about one lb. before shelling)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 nine inch pie shell, unbaked and chilled
• Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

How to Make Southern Pecan Pie

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Place a cookie sheet on the rack. You'll be glad you did. The cookie sheet will also make it easier to remove the hot pie when it's done.

2. Combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Add orange zest, if using. Mix well. Use a spoon to avoid beating extra air into the mixture.

3. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well. Stir in pecans. If you're using chocolate chips, add them now and stir in.

4. Pour into the unbaked, chilled pie shell. Add a decoratively arranged layer of pecans to the top if you want to get fancy.

5. Bake on cookie sheet in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until set in the center.

6. Cool pecan pie at room temperature, then refrigerate. Serve chilled or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream. You can also warm pieces briefly in the microwave before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• A store bought crust is the easiest way to a pie crust.
• A fancy version is to add one cup of sweetened coconut and one cup of chocolate chips to the bottom of the pie before you pour in the filling.
• Add two tbsp. of bourbon to pie filling while mixing. Continue as per directions.
• Add one tbsp. of bourbon to whipped cream.
• Add one oz. of bourbon to the cook.
• For a very different pie, try substituting real maple syrup for part or all of the corn syrup. Rum goes well with maple!
• The cookie sheet under the pie is in case of spills or eruptions.
• If the crust appears to be getting too dark too quickly, cover the rim of the crust with a strip of foil all the way around.

Resources

• Bon Appetit, Y'All: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking
• Chantal Ceramic Deep Dish Pie 9-1/2 Inch, Glossy Cinnabar

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[Meri]

on 6/17/2008 Did I mention how much I LOVE pecans? Great recipe.