Pecan Pie Recipe

Somehow in her years of cooking, my mom has come upon the perfect recipe for pecan pie (and given it to me). It seems to me that, since it's so incredibly easy to make pecan pie, I shouldn't be getting any acclaim for making it, but I get multiple requests in multiple circles to make it every Thanksgiving and Christmas, even from people who don't normally like pecan pie. So just in case you need a super easy, tasty and Southern pie recipe for any of your holiday gatherings, this one should do the trick. Happy eating! (PS - don't even think about counting the calories, just enjoy.)

Southern Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1+ tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup pecans
1 9" deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except pecans (and pie crust) and stir until well blended. Gently stir in pecans. Pour into crust. Bake 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Notes:

• As much as you may be tempted (like me!), don't add extra pecans! 1 1/4 cups is the exact amount that sits flat and beautifully on the top of the pie - any extra will make the top buckle and look ugly.
• The whole "until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean" thing will probably never quite happen, so just stick to the 50-55 minute time period, or a few minutes less if you have a convection oven. I tried waiting until the knife came out clean once, ended up baking the pie for something like 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 hours and ended up with a chewy, sticky mess.
• For the pie crust, homemade is always best, and it's actually not that hard. I would stay away from the recipes that call for vinegar and an egg, though - for some reason the flavor doesn't seem to go well with this pie (although it's great for apple or rhubarb). Recipe follows...

Simple Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening or butter
4-5 Tbsp cold water

Sift flour and salt together; cut in shortening or butter until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp water over part of mixture, toss with a fork and push aside. Continue until all is moistened. Form into a ball. Roll to desired thickness on a floured surface. Makes one (or possibly 1 1/2, depending on how thick you like your crust) single-layered crust.