Let Them Eat......Pie?

Cherry Pie

  Everyone has a favorite food. Did you know that when an individual thinks of a favorite food their brain actually lights up on a PET Scan? It is the same reaction a drug addict gets when they begin to crave their drug of choice. Their brain lights up too. What does that say about us as realitively normal human beings? When I think about Cherry Pie does my brain goes haywire if it's been longer than 24 hours since I've had a slice? I don't think so. I'm not wandering the streets looking for my next hit of Cherry Pie....I am slightly unglued but I'm not ready for Bellevue! The fact still remains, we have strong urges when it comes to our favorite food or favorite type of food. Can you believe some brainiac scientist spent the tax payer's money on such a stupid test? I could have told them all they needed to know about craving  your favorite food! I see it. I smell it. I WANT it! Uh, let's see, that will be $250,000.00 Uncle Sam and please take a slice of Cherry Pie on your way out.

Dean Fearing

  Yes Cherry Pie is up there almost at the top of my "favorite desserts" list, cake is not my thing. But that's a Summer pie. My favorite Winter pie is hands down my mother's Raisin Pie. A close second is my Dean Fearing Texas Pecan Pie! He was one of three judges that taste tested my Pecan Pie 10, 15 years ago at the Texas State Fair. I didn't come home with a blue ribbon that day but I came in second. When I met Dean, he just gushed over my pie. Very surreal, it was great! I was tickled just to stand next to him and have a conversation! Now he is a REAL cook. This is one fantastic pie....it's done when it looks slightly burnt...no joke. This pie is on our Christmas table every year.

TEXAS PECAN PIE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients:

Texas Pean Pie

9" pie crust
1 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup light brown sugar
4 tbsp. butter
4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups Texas Pecans,
(1 cup chopped and 1 cup    whole)
1 tsp. Vanilla, remember I use McCormick
1/2 tsp Almond extract, I don't use quite 1/2 tsp

Dark corn syrup and brown sugar.

Combine corn syrup and light brown sugar is a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook stirring until brown sugar has dissolved. Don't walk off and leave it or go and answer the phone. Once sugar has dissolved take off of heat. Add butter, stir until melted. Slightly beat eggs in a medium size bowl. This is KEY so catch it or you will have scrambled eggs. While beating your eggs, SLOWLY pour your syrup mixture into your eggs. Pour about 3/4 cup into your eggs, stop and stir, bringing the temperature of the eggs closer to that of your syrup mixture. Pour another cupful in and stir, now it's safe to pour your eggs into the hot liquid mixture. Add vanilla and almond extracts and 1 cup chopped nuts, stir until blended well. Make sure to brush your crust with 1 egg white,  beaten until frothy. This will ensure a pretty shiny crust. Pour the pecan mixture into prepared pie crust. Using the cup of whole pecans, arrange them around the outer edge of the pie and a few in the middle. Don't worry the pecans will float. Oh so carefully place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Check to see if it's set, if not turn the pie around and bake another 10 minutes. The top should look almost burnt and slightly cracked on top. ENJOY! 
  Thanks for reading this little blog of mine. It's only been a month so far, I'm hoping I will improve over time, stick with me and we shall see!