Mondays with Monna: Pecan Pie

Most grandmothers have the reputation of being a great cook, including my grandmother, Monna. Cooking has always been a large part of her life and has become one of the things she is best known for. This week Monna is sharing her favorite pecan pie recipe and her famous pie crust.

Monna always has something cooking in her kitchen, and 99% of the time she is cooking for someone else. I have always admired her willingness to help others in need and I am truly amazed at her ability to show love to others through her talents in the kitchen. She is always taking a meal to someone who is sick, preparing food for a funeral or wedding, and bakes a pie or cake for every birthday and holiday. Since there is always something cooking in the oven or on the stove, it is hard to believe that she manages to keep her kitchen spotless at all times. She somehow manages to leave her kitchen looking brand new when she walks out the door with a fresh hot meal in hand.

“I clean as I bake. Rinse dishes as I go, and then put it all in the dishwasher. I bleach my white counter tops almost everyday, to keep them looking new.”

The pecan pie recipe (below) is a little different than most pecan pies, because it uses evaporated milk. The milk makes the pie filling a little thicker and each bite is full of pecans. Monna likes to top off her pecan pie with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and warm maple syrup. Get the recipe and shop some of Monna’s favorite kitchen accessories below! xoxo

9 Inch Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Crisco

4 to 5 tablespoons of cold water

In a large mixing bowl sift flour and salt together. Cut in the Crisco with a pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle water a tablespoon at a time on the mixture. Gather up with fingers and form into balls. Flatten slightly and roll out on a lightly floured mastery cloth. Always roll from center to edge. Tip from Monna: roll the pastry between two sheets of wax paper.

Pecan Pie Filling (for 9 inch pie crust)

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark Karo

2 eggs

1/2 cup Pet evaporated milk (another brand is fine too)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecan pieces (or halves)

Mix sugar, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in Karo syrup, then beat in eggs one at a time. Add evaporated milk, vanilla, and pecans, then mix well before pouring into pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Tip from Monna: top off the pie with warm maple syrup and Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.