Texas pecan pie
My grandmother makes the best pies. Of course, everyone’s grandmother makes the best pies, but I’m not kidding when I say my grandmother’s pies are divine. Everyone in my family has their favorite: some like the peach, some like the sweet potato, some like the chocolate. But from my grandmother’s pie-making repertoire, there is one pie that we all agree is top notch: her pecan pie.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of her pies is how fresh they are. She and my grandpa live on a farm, where small groves of pecan and peach trees grow and where there is always an ample crop of sweet potatoes. So her pies are made with the fruit of the land, making them very, very tasty. My grandparents are pragmatic people, and as they’re getting older, they always ask what we want willed to us. In yet another testament to her pies, the one thing we all fight over is my grandmother’s rolling pin that she was given in the 1940s and has used ever since. Forget the land, the houses or the antiques–we all want that magical tool that has rolled out so many delicious crusts.
Family skirmishes aside, I’m fortunate that even though I live a thousand miles away, she always sends me a pecan pie for my birthday. This year I opted to freeze a slice for a time when I was most in need of a fix, and a couple of days ago when I was feeling very homesick, having the chance to eat a slice of her pecan pie filled me with great peace. I don’t know if it’s the freshness of the pecans or the love she puts into each pie, but they are delicious and always bring me back home. She has graciously given me her recipe, which she learned from her mother. Here it is:
Pecan pie
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup white corn syrup
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix together the sugar, the corn syrup, the eggs, and the vanilla. Stir in the milk, flour, melted butter, and pecans.
- Pour the filling into the piecrust. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.
My beau made this for Thanksgiving and it came out amazing. We were scared about the oil crust, but it worked!
(Austin, TX)
Hi there Lisa
I’m an Australian who loves “Tex Mex” albeit not true to form as you describe, and I am over the moon that I have found your blog! I’d love to give this pie a go, however I don’t want to use Karo, is there anything else that is similar that I could use instead?
Thanks for the great flour tortilla recipe too! Beats buying them when they are AWESOME fresh!
Sarah
Hi Lisa – it's almost three years since you wrote this post, September 9, 2009, but I just found it.
You mentioned the loss of your grandmother on twitter – this post about her is so lovely! And it was interesting to see that your grandmother made her piecrust with oil & milk, something I learned as a newlywed 40 years ago. (also started with corn oil, then switched to canola). My recipe comes from the 11th edition of the Fannie Farmer cookbook – wonder if your grandmother read Fannie?
In 2007 our trees bore nuts, but between drought and squirrels guess I'll have to buy pecans for pie this year.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
My husband loves pecan pie and for some reason I've never attempted one. He tried once and it was totally soupy, great over vanilla ice cream, but not pie. Now that I've lived in TX over a year, I'm fixin' to make us a pecan pie. Thanks!
Just returned to Germany from a rare trip home to Austin. My German beau and i had pecan pie on our last night. I was filled with nostalgia and D with happy discovery so I've already promised to make it for him with the pecans we brought back. Was very glad to find your recipe, which looks authentic.