Makes 2 pies, 6 to 8 servings each Mary Dail married into a big family—her father-in-law was one of eight children, and her husband one of 18 grandchildren. The family always held a big Christmas Eve gathering and potluck where her mother-in-law’s pecan pies were among others. “I tasted hers and compared it to the other pecan pies there and I thought, ‘Gosh, this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.’ On the long car ride home, she told me how to make it.” Dail’s pie doesn’t include corn syrup, giving it a firmer texture than the “gelled” filling of a Karo pecan pie. The Dail Christmas Eve gathering in Fayetteville, North Carolina, has moved to the Saturday before Christmas, but it’s still potluck, to spread the work around the big family. One cousin roasts a hog and grills chickens, others bring sides, and Dail still supplies her distinctive pecan pies.
2 (8-inch) piecrusts, store-bought or homemade
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 pound dark brown sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
2 heaping cups pecan halves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the piecrusts into two 8-inch pie pans. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and heat, stirring, until it dissolves. Add the eggs, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is syrupy. Add the pecans. Cook, stirring, until a froth forms on top of the mixture. Pour into piecrusts, dividing evenly.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The pies are done when the center doesn’t jiggle when shaken.
Makes 2 pies, 6 to 8 servings each
Note: The pies can be cut into squares and served as a pick-up dessert. Baked pies can be held in the refrigerator for a few days.