Post #168: Sweety Pies

From sweetypie

It is NO secret that I am not a big fan of this cold weather. I am after all a Texican. It is simply not in my blood. However, this time of year does bring out the comfort foodie in me. I love comfort food. Like most Texans, it is what I was raised on, from old-fashioned biscuits to homemade tortillas.

It is also no secret how much I love books. This year, as I do every year, I headed straight for the cookbooks at the annual elementary school book fair & I am so in love with this one book I found!  Sweety Pies An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations with Pie by Patty Pinner. It's a charming and comforting cookbook filled with great anecdotes and simple, but wonderful, pie recipes. They are my kind of pies, pantry-friendly.

The book is dedicated to her mother with this inscription:

For Mama, who used to tell me, "Good cooking involves more than just stirring pots."

In her introduction Patty writes, "...the American dessert pie is the ultimate expression of what comfort food, old-fashioned values, and wholesome living represent." I agree. This book has inspired me to bake all kinds of pies this season. I begin with this pie from her book:

Sherry's Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

From sweetypie

 Seriuosly, how can you go wrong with anything that has pecans and chocolate chips in it?

Here is how I did it:

One 9-inch single Flaky Pie Crust (rolled out, fitted into a pie plate, and edge trimmed and crimped)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 cup of light corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I added 1 teaspoon of rum extract as well!)

1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

Makes one 9-inch pie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pie crust and set aside. 

In a medium-size bowl, cream together the sugar and the melted butter until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Add the corn syrup, salt, and vanilla and blend until well combined.

Spread the chopped pecans and the chocolate chips evenly over the bottom of the crust, then pour the filling on top.

From sweetypie

Place in the oven and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes (My knife was mostly clean).

Let cool completely before serving. 

 

From sweetypie

I ate this pie almost by myself while the kids were at school! No lie. My being pregnant does not justify it, that is just how good this pie is. I am making it again for my hubby when he returns on Saturday and Frankie's Coconut Pie for my boys (special request).

This book would be a great buy for yours or your favorite foodie's kitchen. I love the stories and the recipes behind each pie.  I think you will, too!