Pecan Pie

Today, we have a VERY special guest blogger!  My mom!  For the record, my mom is an excellent cook and a lot of my cooking inspiration came from her (and my grandma, her mom) who never failed to let me pull a chair up to the counter and "help" them cook.  Here's her too awesome not to share pecan pie story:

I have had a few cooking disasters in my life.  One was when, as a new bride, I made a dessert for company from a recipe I had seen in the newspaper.  It was accompanied by a beautiful photo, and looked delicious.  It's the only time I've seen a recipe for cheesecake made with cottage cheese - - I think there's a reason for that.  It tasted exactly like cottage cheese, only sweet (with a  complicated fresh strawberry glaze on top).  I was eventually able to laugh about it, and those friends never let me forget it!   

Another attempt I have never forgotten is my "pecan pie fiasco."  It was the first time I had made a pecan pie, and it was for my in-laws' Thanksgiving dinner.  My husband's mother, sister, and sister-in-law were all great cooks, and I really wanted to measure up.  My pie looked perfect - I was so proud of it!  I cut into it with some difficulty; it was the consistency of slightly under-cured concrete.  Everyone politely tried to eat that pie, but when my upper and lower teeth would not come apart after I bit into it, I was mortified.

I had followed the instructions on the recipe that said, "Insert a toothpick into the center to test for doneness.  If the toothpick is "syrupy", bake an additional five minutes."  The toothpick was syrupy several times, so I kept putting the pie back in the oven.  

Now, an undercooked pecan pie is not good either - it will look okay, but will "bleed" syrup when it's cut.  However, better that than losing a tooth filling!

I have such fond memories of sitting around that dining table with my husband's wonderful family.  And we laughed about my cement pie for years.  

  

Shel's note:  Be sure to follow the cooking instructions exactly for this recipe! 

Pecan Pie (Donna Rowland)

3 beaten eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. light Karo syrup

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 c. whole pecans

1 T. flour

1 frozen deep dish pie crust, not thawed

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and pour into the pie crust.  Bake for 15 minutes at 400, reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.  Allow to cool before cutting and serve with whipped cream, if desired.