Pies, and More Pies

Today I wanted to get a shot of a Pecan Pie. In all the years of making pecan pies at Thanksgiving (or any other time), I have never taken pictures. Even when my sister made a pecan pie one Thanksgiving, I only got a shot from a distance. This seems so absurd, to me. That I could eat a food over years and years, and never once take a decent photo.  I guess my focus has been different in the past. These days, I am all about taking photos of everyting I cook or bake.

My Best Pecan Pie

Okay, I will admit, the pecan pie recipe I have loved best is one that is on the inside of a ceramic pie plate I bought many long years ago. You see them now and then; pie plates with a recipe inside. The only difficulty is to follow the recipe if you forget and line the plate with the pie crust first!  Today, I didn't forget.

I mentioned I have been making this recipe for a lot of years. That said, it always pays to read the recipe!  Last year I made this pie, only to have all the pecans sink right to the bottom during baking. It still tasted like a great pecan pie; you just couldn't see the pecans, which explains why I didn't bother taking a photo last year. This year as I re-read the recipe, I realized right away what I did wrong last year.  I really whipped the mixture in my Kitchen-Aid, rather than folding in the butter and corn syrup.  This time I paid attention to the details.

Another thing.  I realized last night as I planned to make this today - I had no dark corn syrup. Drat. What I did have is Brown Rice Syrup, and Barley Malt Syrup. I used a little of both.  I haven't cut the pie yet to taste it, as it was still cooling as I sat to write.  I will report in my next post.  It sure does look good, though.  Here's the recipe, simple as it is.

Pecan Pie

Prepare a pastry for a 10-inch pie; fit to a 10-inch pie plate, crimp edges and set aside.

Heat oven to 375.  Beat 3 eggs with 1/4 teaspoon of salt until light and lemon colored.  Do not over beat!  Add in, slowly, 3/4 cup of sugar and beat to combine.  Melt 1 stick of unsalted butter.  Mix with 1 cup of dark corn syrup.  Fold this into the egg mixture until combined.  Pour into the prepared crust.  Place about 1 1/2 cups pecan halves decoratively over the top.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until set and pastry is brown.