Pecan Pie

You know you're in trouble when your sister calls you to see if you're OK because you haven't posted anything on your blog for three weeks.  This actually happened tonight.

So, my apologies to my readers.  I know I've neglected you the last few weeks.  I had a car accident six weeks ago.  Car shopping (ick) and physiotherapy (ouch) have devoured my free time faster than grasshoppers chowing down on a field of newly headed wheat! 

I do intend to get back to regular posting!

On that note, this is the last week of the month and that means recipe week!  I wondered what ooey gooey delight I could post to serve as a sweet finishing touch to Easter dinner and the answer came in the form of pecan pie!

You can thank my husband for this recipe.  A few years back I discovered his favourite pie was pecan (a pie I had never made before).  The quest for a good recipe was on!  Everyone who's had the pleasure of tasting this pie remains eternally grateful to him!

A warning comes attached to this pie.  It's very sweet and rich.  A cup of tea or glass of cold milk are mandatory accompaniments to it.

For the really adventurous I'm including a never fail pastry recipe.  Guaranteed to be light and flaky every time - no concrete pastry from this recipe!  But, if you don't feel up to the challenge, just go pick up a frozen pie crust and throw in the filling.  People will think you slaved over a hot stove all day!

NEVER FAIL PASTRY
- one recipe makes enough for four covered pies - the extra pastry freezes well

5 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups Tenderflake or Crisco lard (shortening)
1 beaten egg
1 tbsp. vinegar

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together.  Cut the lard into the flour mixture until crumbly.  (HINT - if you have a Kitchenaide it makes easy work of this step, then you can hand mix the rest,)

Beat the egg in a glass measuring cup, add the vinegar, then add enough cold water to make 3/4 cup of liquid.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour crumb mixture and mix by hand - knead a couple of times on a hard surface to completely mix.

NOTE:  If you want to 1/2 this recipe use the whole egg and just half of the other liquid ingredients.

PECAN PIE FILLING

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups roasted pecans

Roast the pecans:
Put 1 1/2 cups pecans on a plate and put in the microwave.  Microwave on high for two minutes.  Turn them over a few times, put them back in for one more minute.  Use a knife to cut pecan into large chunks.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together syrup, brown sugar, salt, melted butter and vanilla.

Beat eggs in separate bowl and add to batter.  Stir until it looks like it did before you added the eggs.

Pour the filling into an unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle the pecans on top.

Bake for one hour to one hour and ten minutes. Pie is done when a knife can be stuck into the centre of the pie and come out clean.

Enjoy!