Over the James river and through the woods of Dinwiddie County to grandmother’s house we went for the holidays. The pecan pie alone was well worth the trip!
My grandmother, “Meme”, found her pecan pie recipe printed in The Progress-Index on Wednesday February 26, 1964 and was said to be “Mrs. Landon B. Johnson’s Favorite Pie” (typo and all). The recipe is actually the masterpiece of Zephyr Wright, the Johnson family’s White House cook.
White House Pecan Pie
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Fluted unbaked pastry shell in a 9-inch pie pan or plate
Allow the butter to stand in a covered medium mixing bowl at room temperature until it is extremely soft. Add sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla; with a sturdy hand rotary beater or mixing spoon, beat until thoroughly blended. Add eggs and beat gently just until blended. Fold in the pecans. Pour into pastry shell. Bake in a moderate (375 degrees) oven on the rack directly below the center rack until top is toasted brown and filling is set in center when pie is gently shaken – about 40 to 50 minutes.
Pastry edge should be browned and the bottom pastry a pale gold. If top of pie gets very dark toward end of baking time, place a tent of foil over it. Cool on wire rack. If desired, serve with unsweetened whipped cream.
I make this pie every Thanksgiving and Christmas because it’s absolutely delicious and brings back memories of holidays spent at Meme’s Farm in Ford, VA.
Enjoy!
