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 everything 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.

My Best Pecan Pie

makes one 10-inch pie

1 pie pastry to fit in 10-inch pie plate
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1 stick (4 ounces / 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown corn syrup 
1½ cups pecan halves

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 eggs with salt until light and lemon colored.  Do not over beat!  Add in, slowly, ¾ cup of sugar and stir to combine.  Melt 1 stick of unsalted butter.  Mix with dark corn syrup.  Fold this into the egg mixture until combined.  Pour into the prepared crust.  Place pecan halves decoratively over the top.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until set and pastry is brown.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook and Pinterest.