Kentucky Pecan Pie, Another Dishboy Takeover.

Laura is gone again, and I guess it is becoming tradition that I (Scott) take over her blog for a little while in her absence. I?ll never quite fill her shoes, but hopefully this post will tide you all over until her return (which should be soon)?so here goes:

There are certainly things in this life worthy of compromise, and times where, for whatever reason, it makes sense to settle. However, there are a few things in life that I absolutely will NOT compromise on, under any circumstances. Pie is one of those things. Ken Haedrich authored what is possibly one of the most comprehensive books ever written on pies. Here?s what he says about pie: ?Since as far back as I can remember I have simply loved pie. I can?t really explain why. If one loves poetry, or growing orchids, or walking along the beach at sunset, the why isn?t all that important. To me, pie is poetry that makes the world a better place. Pie, in a word, is my passion?. I don?t know Ken, but I have a feeling we?d get along great.

Life is just too short to eat bad pie. It came as quite a shock when I first realized this, but it has been my experience that as our culture increasingly shifts away from ?real? cooking and baking, it is getting hard to find people who can still make a good homemade pie these days. That?s a real shame?almost as if we?ve lost a national treasure. I guess some would settle, but I am completely unable to hide my disdain for ?institutional? pie.

Do you want to know a little secret? One of the best ways to get me started ranting and raving is to bring up the subject of institutional pies. I?m convinced that Laura does this just for fun and entertainment when she is bored. We?ll be walking through the pie aisle at the grocery store and she?ll nonchalantly mention something such as, ?that pie looks pretty decent for a store pie?. Or, there was the time that we had dinner at this chain restaurant which makes pies that are supposedly ?just like homemade?. I noticed that I haven?t been invited back since!

Is this what people think pie is now? I?m sorry if this is offensive, but if you received a pie in exchange for money, or if it came in a thin aluminum pan, you don?t really have a pie. You see, you cannot buy pie with money.

I make homemade pie quite frequently, and I do make one compromise?I use the rolled Pillsbury pie crust instead of making my own. I?m sure some of you are now questioning the high moral ground I staked out above. However, I will freely admit that there is no question that a good homemade crust makes a pie significantly better. The problem, however, is that I?ve just never taken the time to learn how to make a good crust from scratch. Plus, a bad homemade crust totally ruins a pie for me (and I?ve had numerous ones made by people who should really consider using prepared crusts, like me!). I like the refrigerated Pillsbury crusts because they are decent, and because I make a lot more pies now that I keep some of these in my freezer/refrigerator. It is quick and super simple to make a pie if you?re not having to also throw together and roll out a crust. If you love pie but find that you?ve not been making pie much lately, try it out. You might find yourself addicted to these crusts just like Laura and me!

So, I like just about every kind of pie. However, I have a special love affair with pecan pie. Pecan pie is generally credited as having been popularized in America by the makers of Karo Syrup, who in the 1930?s were looking for creative ways to sell more corn syrup. The following is the recipe for my favorite pecan pie. This recipe has been used in my family for many years, long before I was even born. I am not aware of the original source, but I did find it interesting that I found several examples of the exact same recipe online, each with the proclamation that this was their family?s favorite pecan pie, and that it ?has been passed down for years?, etc. I?m guessing that we all got it when our grandparents clipped the recipe printed on the back of the Karo Syrup label, or some such thing. However it happened?now you have it too. Enjoy!

Kentucky Pecan Pie