Got All These Buckets Coming Out Of My Ears: Pecan pie

After making several pumpkin pies around Halloween and then 18 sweet potato pies for Thanksgiving, even going so far as to give one to the valet parking attendant at our New Orleans hotel, I felt it was time for me to branch out in a new direction. It had recently been hinted to me, by my family, that they were especially fond of pecan pies. I had never made one before so I was sort of hesitant to plunge in haphazardly.

As fate would have it I recently unpacked a collection of 1950's Gourmet magazines that were purchased at a Cedar City library sale some years ago. As I was flipping through the November 1956 issue (exactly 50 years ago), looking for some holiday cooking ideas, I inadvertently stumbled upon a recipe for Southern Pecan Pie on page 34. This was my cue to plunge in with wild abandon. It turned out to be such a delicious pie that none of it is left to photograph for this blog post. I'll be making another in a week or so.

I think that this traditional treat of the Deep South is a wonderfully sweet and tasty alternative to the standard mince, canned pumpkin and frozen apple pies that most folks endure during holiday gatherings.

So here is the recipe that I hope will bring a big smile to all those you love cooking for at Christmas time. It's really not so hard to prepare, especially if you buy a pre-made crust from the frozen food section of your friendly neighborhood grocer.

Southern Pecan Pie

Boil 1.5 cups of cane syrup with 1 cup of sugar for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Slowly add the hot syrup to 4 beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1.5 cups of coarsely broken pecans, and stir well. Turn the mixture into an unbaked pie shell and bake pie in a moderate oven (350 F) for about 45 minutes, until the shell is browned, the filling is set, and a knife inserted near the center comes out dry.

Also----make sure you use a brand of cane syrup that actually contains cane syrup. I think it makes a big difference in the overall taste. I found some at a local independent grocery store in Panama City Beach, that wasn't unavailable in the larger chain stores.