Inspired By Family: Grandma’s Pecan Pie

What I Loved

I have fond memories of Thanksgiving while growing up. I remember being incredibly excited when I found out Grandma was coming. If Grandma was coming for Thanksgiving, that meant only one thing, pecan pie was also coming.

Grandma’s pecan pie was legendary. Recently, she has sent me the recipe and I felt I absolutely had to share it. This recipe provides a rich, smooth, and indulgent pecan pie, with a delightful crunch. This is pecan pie at its best.

Family Story

My grandma has had a rich and full life. The following story is in her own words. Enjoy!

The holidays came earlier in Canada. Thanksgiving is in October instead of November. It was much like Thanksgiving in the United States. We had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. One difference was we had to kill and dress our own Thanksgiving turkey. So old Tom’s  head went to the chopping block.  I think we were all most thankful to be rid of old Tom. He thought he was king of the barnyard and I guess he was since all the other barnyard animals and all the humans were afraid of him. He chased anyone that came into his domain. The thing was he weighed about 40 lbs and wouldn’t fit into Grandma Ockey’s oven. Grandpa cut him in half and froze half for later. I made my Kentucky pecan pie. I got the recipe at the hotel in Louisville, Kentucky when I was a teenager.

How Grandma Got The Recipe

I suppose I should tell you about my trip to Louisville. In high school I was president of the speech club. My friend Bradley and I had won all the competitions in our area and we were chosen to go to state. Our speech teacher was a lady in her sixties. She and her sister had never married. They were very wealthy and respected in our town. They decided to take us to Louisville to the state competition. The trouble was the derby was in town but the Miss Bertram’s managed to book us into one of the most prestigious hotels in town. I remember being nervous about my talk which included talking on the radio.

My Dad told me the old farm horse out in the pasture was never nervous but when those thoroughbreds were lined up at the starting gate they were so nervous they couldn’t stand still. He told me I was a Kentucky thoroughbred and when I gave my speech I would be nervous but I would be a winner. When we got to the hotel and checked in I don’t know what I expected. We had 3 rooms. Miss Bertram told me to lock my door and put a chair under the lock. No tv no books. I guess they expected me to study my speech. Bradley soon knocked on my door and we went of to explore the hotel.

We were in school clothes. I’m sure I had a skirt with lots of petticoats and saddle shoes with anklets. This was a very fancy hotel. The men had on suits and derby hats. The ladies beautiful dresses. They were having a dance in the ballroom. We walked in like we owned the place. No one asked us to leave. Bradley got me a dance card with a little pencil attached. It was still in my little cedar box when I moved from Pocatello. On that trip I somehow got the recipe for Kentucky pecan pie which I shared with all my family.

Original Pecan Pie Recipe

Kentucky Pecan Pie
1 Cup white corn syrup
1  Cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup whole pecans
Combine syrup, sugar, salt butter, vanilla, and eggs. Pour into pie crust. Sprinkle pecans over all. Bake 45 minutes at 350.

What I Learned

As I stated previously, I have always loved pecan pie. However, I never made it because I thought it was incredibly difficult. This recipe was straightforward and delicious. It was super easy, and I was able to whip up a pie in no time. All you need is your favorite pie crust recipe and you are in business.

I used a large pie plate. As a result the filling didn’t quite fill to the top of the crust. If you use a 9 inch pie plate then the amount of filling that this recipe provides will be perfect.