Pecan pie

Confession time: I'm not a big pecan pie eater. Don't get me wrong! I think it's very good, but it's so sweet! When made properly, a good pecan pie is basically candy in a pie crust....tender, rich and almost painfully sweet. I'm not a sweets person at all, so I can only eat a few bites before I get a sugar overload. But put this pie in front of a sweet tooth or dessert lover, and they'll go nuts (pun intended!) over it.

You can find pecan pie in a bazillion different variations, including versions with chocolate, cream cheese, peanut butter, or more. But all variations aside, I think that classic pecan pie is best.

This recipe is for a "normal" 9-inch pie shell. I, however, go deep-dish. I believe that's the best way to have pecan pie. It turns out amazing that way. I have a deep-dish pie pan that I use. When using a deep-dish pan, I double the recipe for both crust and filling, and increase oven time by an additional 15-20 minutes (or more, if necessary).

Crust ingredients (this is a single-crust pie):
1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
3 tblsp. ice water

Filling ingredients:
3 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 tblsp. flour
1 c. light corn syrup
3 tblsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. chopped pecans.

First, the pie crust. Mix the flour and salt, then cut in the shortening or rub it in with your fingers. Next, add the water. Don't add it all at once! Add it a bit at a time, mixing between each addition. You want just enough water to make the dough come together into a mass of moist crumbs. Gather the crumbs together with your hands and press them into a ball. Cover it tightly and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 4 hours. This makes it easier to work with.

Now to roll it out. I know the current trend is to roll it between plastic wrap or waxed paper. You can do it if you want, but frankly, I don't like that. Yet another example of making culinary mountains out of molehills. Rolling pie crust, with nothing more than a rolling pin, is simple. People were making pies long before wax paper came around. All it takes to roll a pie crust is a little...very little!...bit of practice. That's it. It may take a time or two before you get it perfect, but hey, nothing wrong with developing a skill.

Flour your surface, and roll out the crust. The secret is, initially, to keep it moving. Roll, rotate. That prevents sticking. Once the crust gets too big to move without breaking, that's okay. It should be beyond the point of sticking. Roll out the crust until its the right size. Here's a hint: before moving the pie crust to the pan, run a flat dinner knife under the edges of the crust to ensure there's no sticking. Very simple.

There's also a trick to moving the pie crust to the pan. If you try to move the crust the way it is, it will probably fall to pieces on you. You need to fold it. First, fold it in half along the middle, bottom to top. Then, fold it in half again, left to right. Your pie crust is now folded in a neat little quarter, and is much easier to move. Pick up the folded crust and put it so it covers one quarter of the pie pan. Then, unfold the crust flat again, covering the pan as you do so. Tada! Trim any excess from the edges, and fold or flute the edge as you see fit.

Now for the filling. Wisk the eggs in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Don't overmix, you don't want them foamy. Add the butter, corn syrup and vanilla, and mix again. Blend the flour into the sugar, and add it to the bowl. Stir to combine. Finally, stir in the the pecans.

Pour the mixture into your pie shell. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the filling is solid and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.