Pecan Pie - Any way You Like It

My Dad enjoyed baking and eating pecan pie. His pecan pie received rave reviews from anyone who sampled his confection. The only problem was, my Dad would not give us his recipe. Well guess what I finessed the recipe from my Mom. Not really finessed...she left it at my house.


My husband loves my Dad's pecan pie. My Dad would bring a pecan pie to my house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. A.J. collected the pie at the front door from my Dad like a bouncer collecting a cover charge at a nightclub. Just kidding.


Since my Dad died, my Mom has been making the pie and since my Mom has been with us the past three years for Thanksgiving and Christmas, she has brought the recipe with her to make at my house. The funny thing is, the recipe comes from the River Roads Recipes cookbook.

I've been toying around with pecan pie, since it doesn't go bad at our house. I'll give you the recipe straight from River Roads and some variations we have found to be very interesting and tasty!

Pecan Pie:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoons butter (slightly soft)1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup corn syrup (light) - variation 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup molasses
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans halves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cream butter and brown sugar, add corn syrup and eggs (one at a time). Mix until frothy. Fold in vanilla, salt and pecans. Pour into a 9-inch pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Start watching the pie after thirty minutes and check it every 10 minutes to make sure the pie does not bubble over the pie shell.

Variations:

Pecan Pie Tarts

3 extra large eggs
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup corn syrup, dark or light
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Prepare using same methods as above. Create your own, or purchase packaged tart shells. Yield: 16 tarts.

Bourbon Pecan Pie Add one tablespoon bourbon whiskey to the filling before baking.



Chocolate Pecan Pie - After prebaking the pie or tart shells, sprinkle them with chocolate pieces. Then pour in pie filling.


Cream Cheese Pecan Pie - Soften eight ounces cream cheese. Mix with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and one egg or liquid-egg substitute. Spread over pie or tart shell, and pour in filling.

Almond Pie - Substitute sliced or slivered almonds for pecans. Use almond extract instead of vanilla.















Use some of those pecans and enjoy some pie!