MAKES 1 (9-INCH) PIE
1 single-crust pie shell from this chapter or 1 ready-made 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Cookies for guests so you don’t have to share your pie
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the rolled-out pie dough in a 9-inch pie plate and flute the edges (see Sugar Mommas Note, page 69).
Place the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until each is incorporated. Add the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. According to Lucinda, “just keep checkin’ it” until it’s done (Sugar Mommas Interpretation: until the pie filling is firm and no longer jiggles in the center). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before cutting.
Classic and simple, this is the
perfect pecan pie! The color is
spot-on. The texture and taste
leave you begging for more.
Submitted by Celia “Muffy” Hunt
From her grandmother Ida Vaughan’s recipe, Urbana, Missouri
Muffy’s grandmother Ida Vaughan kept the kids busy on the family farm during the 1940s. Muffy remembers that one of the chores was making butter in a crank-style churn. We think that alone should have earned her first dibs on a slice of pie.
Fireworks were probably all the rage in post–World War II American cities, but in rural Missouri, Independence Day was a time filled with food. Muffy’s family always made apple pie for Fourth of July picnics. “I don’t think I ever saw fireworks on the Fourth until after I was married,” she contends. To this day, Muffy would rather make her pie than any other dessert. She also suggests serving it at a dinner party to be certain it is consumed all at once. Otherwise you may end up eating it yourself.
It wasn’t easy for Muffy to pin Grandma Ida down for her recipe. Like so many women we have known, Ida used “a pinch of this, and a spoonful of that.” Muffy was finally able to convince Ida to measure out some of her recipes so they could be recorded. At 103, she was passing out the apple pie recipe to her caretakers. Ida lived to 104, but her apple pie lives on and on.
At 103, she was passing out the apple
pie recipe to her caretakers.
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, chilled and cut into thin slices
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 10 to 15 times, until the mixture forms small nuggets. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, using a fork to mix it until the mixture holds together.
Carefully turn out the dough onto parchment paper and shape it into a ball. Divide it roughly in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
sugar mommas note: Muffy advises us that when the crust is rolled out, you should be able to see little dots of yellow and white from the butter and vegetable shortening. This is what makes the pockets of air so the crust becomes flaky when baked.
old school: Muffy uses lard instead of vegetable shortening.
MAKES 1 (9-INCH) PIE
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
6 or 7 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
1 batch Fourth of July Double-Crust Pie Dough
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Fireworks
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Place the apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over them and toss to coat.
Roll out half of the chilled pie dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is 14 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick (large enough to fill your 9-inch pie plate and leave ½ to 1 inch hanging over the edges). Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll it into the pie plate and press gently against the bottom and sides.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon flour over the bottom pie crust. Pour the apple mixture into the crust. Dot evenly with the butter. Roll out the second half of the dough to about 10 inches in diameter. Gently cover the apple mixture with the top pastry. Crimp the edges by pinching together lightly (use a bit of water to moisten the bottom crust if needed to help adhere it to the top crust). Make three 1-inch slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F, then decrease the heat to 350°F and bake for 45 minutes longer, or until the crust turns golden and the juices begin to bubble. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
sugar mommas note: If you find the edges are browning too quickly, use a pie shield, or cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
sass it up: For a light golden crust, use a pastry brush to coat the dough lightly with 2 tablespoons of milk just before baking. For a light golden glaze, brush with 1 beaten egg white. For a darker golden glaze, brush with a mixture made from whisking 1 whole egg with 1 tablespoon water.