Pecan has always been a tremendous favorite of mine. I don’t need a holiday to make it, but Thanksgiving is when I find myself preparing it most. My go to recipe is one that I found many moons ago while dining at a, then popular, restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina called “Poogan’s Porch.” That night I dined on a porch among the sultry southern skies, beginning with delectable “She Crab Soup” and ending with this fine pastry. The next day I was lucky enough to find Poogan’s in house cookbook at a quaint, little, local bookstore. Within the pages I found their classic pecan recipe and still use it and the cherished, tattered book today.

Bourbon, chocolate and even coconut pecan pie, in my opinion, do not speak like this one. I imagine, when it comes to pecan, I am a purist. This is sheer pecan pie perfection–sweet, buttery, crunchy and satisfying 🙂 Here’s Charleston’s famed recipe demanded by New Mexico, but compliments of a talented, southern chef from “the Porch.”

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 stick of melted butter, cooled but not cold

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

1 Single-crust Pie Pastry (check any of my pies in the search box & half the recipe)

Whipped cream for tops (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees .

Beat eggs slightly in bowl. Add both sugars, corn syrup, salt melted butter and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Roll out pastry to a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Crimp pastry edge; set pie plate on heavy-duty baking sheet. Pour filling into pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, until knife inserted midway between center and rim tests clean. Cool on rack to room temperature. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.