THE CHEF FROM HELL

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same if Sweet Loretta didn't make one of her pecan pies for me!  The pie filling falls within the traditional deep South pie recipes and the crust is adapted from Nick Maglieri's excellent book, Perfect Pastry (1989 - MacMillan Publishing).

To Make The Crust:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups White Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1 stick very cold unsalted Butter

1 large Egg

Cooking Procedure:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt & baking powder

Turn several times with a fork to blend

Cut the cutter into 1/4 inch sticks, reserving 2 pieces for use later in the recipe

With your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until well blended & this dough has a coarse consistency

In a small bowl, beat the egg

Pour the beaten egg into the dough mixture & stir with a spoon, taking care not to overwork the dough

It will take on a tough consistency

Spray a 9 inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray

Take a handful of the dough & place it in the middle of the pie pan

Using your hands, spread it around & press it into the bottom of the pie pan, flouring your fingers & adding more dough if necessary

Use the remainder of the dough to push up the sides, using your index finger to make a thin lip around the pie

Flute the sides of the pie crust with your thumb & forefinger

(My!  How tactile!  I love it!)

Cover the crust with plastic wrap & refrigerate it for later use

Note:  You can also freeze this crust

To Make The Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

4 large Eggs

1 lb Dark Brown Sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups Light Corn Syrup

1 tsp Salt

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups chopped Pecans

Cooking Procedure:

In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs

Add the brown sugar while whisking the eggs

Add the melted butter & vanilla extract

Continue whisking

Add the corn syrup & salt

Beat well for a minute or so, breaking up any sugar lumps

Set the filling aside

To finish the pie:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Take the pie crust out of the fridge & prick the bottom & sides of the crust with a fork

Spread the pecan pieces evenly across the bottom of the crust

Pour in the filling to cover the pecans

Place the pecan pie in a larger rectangular baking dish

Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 400 degrees

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees

Cover the large rectangular baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving enough room so that the foil is not directly touching the pie itself

Bake the pie for additional 40 to 45 minutes or until the pie is firm

Let the pie cool on a wire rack before serving