ALIVIE ELIZABETH BRYAN MCPHERSON (Liberty, North Carolina) was known as Grandma Mac to her grandchildren. Granddaughter MARTHA DAVIS (Burlington, North Carolina) remembers having pecan trees on the farm where she was raised in Liberty, North Carolina. She shares that “Thanksgiving was the perfect time to make ‘new crop’ pecan pies. We would sit as a family to crack the pecans. After they were soaked in water, they were easier to crack, and we tried to get the ‘meats’ (pecans) out whole. There is still a pecan tree at the Bowman farm that was planted around 1905 when the farmhouse was built. It still produces pecans, and our brother owns the farm now.” Today, Martha is a grandmother of five who loves to make this pie for her family during the holidays.
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs slightly beaten
¾ cup dark corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (9 inch) piecrust, unbaked, chilled but not frozen
1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2 Cream the butter, gradually adding the sugar and continuing to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, corn syrup, salt, vanilla, and chopped nuts. Pour into the piecrust and place in the oven.
3 Bake for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and bake for an additional 35 minutes.
4 During the last 10 minutes of baking, cover the pie with foil or a foil pie pan to prevent the top of the pie from getting too hard. The pie is done when a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean. Cool the pie and serve plain. Or serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS.