Pecan Pie Recipe Question

[Lisa0825]

I once had a Pecan Pie recipe that I LOVED, but I have misplaced the paper copy, and the typed copy is stuck on a broken hard drive. It was from a former co-worker's very old cookbook. This particular recipe was a bit less sweet than most pecan pies I have had and had a smoother texture to the filling. When you cut most pecan pies, you can see the filling looks a bit bumpy, not completely smooth. This pie was smoother, looked it and felt it.

The difference I remember is that this recipe called for using a candy thermometer to bring the sugar, butter, and syrup up to a certain temp (I think it was 220) for about 3 minutes before adding the rest. Then you quickly whisk in the eggs and the rest and bake it.

I think it may also have called for a bit more sugar and lite syrup. I think it called for 4 eggs, whereas the Karo recipe only calls for three.

So, all you baking experts out there... judging by my description, do you either have a recipe like this, or know how stove-top step and/or difference in ingredients would affect the flavor and consistency? Any hints on how to try to approximate my old favorite? I've been googling and haven't found it yet:-(

Muchas gracias!

[bearfan454]

1. I wish I did.

Usually I just buy one and put extra pecans on it. I squish them into the filling. Pecans are plentiful and pretty cheap here in Tx.

[Warpy]

2. My recipe is for more of a pecan tart

and comes from Barbara Tropp's "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking." It's the only one I'll do because it tastes like pecans, not candy, and balances the flavor of nuts, sugar and salt.

You may be able to find it in your local library. If not, and you're interested, send me a private message and I'll pass it along.

[grasswire]

3. I wonder....

...if the bumpiness is due to oven temperature being too hot? Like a custard, the filling for pecan pie will lose smoothness in too hot an oven.

Just wondering.

Here's a recipe that says it's a little less sweet than most:

http://pie.allrecipes.com/az/77910.asp


My favorite pecan pie recipe was from David Rosengarten. I've lost it.

[mike_c]

4. alaga syrup...

...is the essential ingredient for a pecan pie, in this displaced Georgia boy's opinion :-)



Pecan Pie
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup Alaga Original Syrup
4 eggs
1 cup pecan pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked (9-inch) pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the butter in a skillet. Pour into a bowl. Add the sugar and mix well. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the Alaga Original Cane Syrup and mix well. Stir in the pecans and vanilla. Spoon into the pie shell. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yields 8 servings. This recipe is from Chef Clayton Sherrod, CDC, AAC, dhef/owner of the Chef Clayton's Food Service Systems, Inc. and Executive Chef for Alagasco.

[Lisa0825]

5. Thanks for all the suggestions! I experimented, and it came out great!

I used the bits I remembered from the old recipe, combined with info from other recipes and came up with this:

For two pies:

6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup Karo® Light and 1 cup Dark Corn Syrup
8 tbsp tablespoons butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups pecans
2 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen pie crust
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Add sugar, Karo®, butter and vanilla to medium sized pot; stir while heating until blended. Increase heat and use a candy thermometer to cook at 220 degrees for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in pecans.

In medium bowl with fork beat eggs slightly. Stir very quickly into hot pie filling. (You will see some egg that looks cooked, but it will still blend well into the pie filling when finished.)

Pour into pie crust. Put into oven, and then turn heat down to 250 degrees.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes. It should look a bit candied on top, and not shake much when you move it, but if it sets too much in the oven, it will not be as gooey when cooled. Cool on wire rack.

(my original recipe called for deep dish pie shells, but I never seemed to have enough filling to fill them properly, so I used regular shells and have just a bit left over.)

This came out very nice for Thanksgiving... smooth and creamy just like I remembered it:-) The recipe also has more butter and less sugar than the standard Karo recipe.