MAPLE PECAN PIE

4 eggs, beaten
½ cup raw sugar
1 cup maple syrup 
2 T melted butter
1 T vanilla
½ t salt
1 ½ cups pecans

Pour into unbaked pie shell
(See my previous post for pie crust)

Bake 350 for 35-40 min





• • This pie is not overly sweet like the transitional pie we are familiar with that uses corn syrup. It's still good with a strong maple flavor.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Slow Roasting Turkey-- 

Salt and pepper the turkey and rub it down with olive oil and butter. 

Stuff the cavity with garlic, apple and celery. (There is no such thing as too much garlic)  

Place the turkey breast side down in the roasting pan - on a rack. This allows the juices to flow down into the breast meat. It will stay moist!

Cook 1 hour at 350 degrees. 
Reduce the temp to 200 degrees and cook 50 min per pound. (ie an 11 lb turkey will take 9 hours 10 min)

TIPS:

If you want to crisp the breast, turn the turkey over during the last hour.

If you put the turkey in later at night before bed, you'll wake up to a wonderful smelling house! This method allows for time to carve the meat, wrap it to warm later and free up an oven.

Don't forget to check that your oven doesn't automatically turn off after so many hours!!

PIE CRUST

I've used this tried and true recipe for many, many years. 

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup butter 

1 egg

2 ½ T ice water 

1 t vinegar 

⅛ t salt

Mix flour, salt and butter until it resembles course meal. (I'm using my food processor these days)

Add the egg and vinegar. 

Add water 1 T at a time and combine. Bring into a ball, wrap and chill. 

As a single crust - bake at 475 for 8-10 min. 

TIP-

Do not overwork the dough...keep a light tough and use flour sparingly while you are rolling it out. Otherwise, it will get heavy and not be as flaky.

I double or quadruple this recipe and keep those amounts in my cookbook for easy reference. If you plan to make one, you might as well make four while you are making the mess!

I often make it early and place it in the refrigerator to chill or freezer to keep until I'm ready.  

The original recipe calls for crisco, which I never use. Lard is another choice and good for savory pies. I prefer butter for my pastry. 

I use maple vinegar. Yum.
And grass fed butter and sea salt. Of course.


I use maple vinegar. Yum.
And grass fed butter and sea salt. Of course.

WHAT IS THAT?

This looks really strange, doesn't it?

This container (usually a large glass jar) sits in my freezer. What do YOU do with the leftovers from dinner? - carrots, mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, soup, stew, rice, beans, gravy, roast beef, etc? Sometimes it's a bowl full and sometimes it's just a spoonful. Either way, I'm not about to waste it and throw it away. When the jar is full, I thaw it, get out my large stock pot, saute' some onions and garlic, add all the contents to the pot. It's always a surprise and it's always good. If your food was seasoned well to begin with, you'll have a tasty soup. Often, I add a bit of chicken stock if it's too thick.

This batch almost tasted like gumbo. Spice it up and pass the hot sauce!