Pecan Pie (Deb & Phil, modified from “The Silver Palate Cookbook”, required entrance fee by Allen at Thanksgiving time)

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted sweet butter (1/2 stick)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups shelled pecans, chopped
2 9-inch unbaked pie crusts
1.5 cup shelled pecan halves*
~1/4 cup Bicardi rum

*Buy nice ones as these go on top to decorate

Directions
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line 2 9-inch pie pans with pastry if not using frozen piecrusts.

Beat eggs well in large bowl. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter, & vanilla to the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Put 1.5 cup chopped pecans into each pie crust and spread around. Pour ~1/2 egg mixture over pecans in each piecrust and gently make sure distributed evenly.

Arrange the pecan halves on top in concentric circles starting at filling edge and working towards center for decoration.

Set on middle rack of oven and bake for 10 minutes, THEN REDUCE heat to 325˚F and bake for another 25-30 minutes until set (I find this hard to determine accurately and usually take it out at 25 minutes.) DO NOT overcook.

Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Comments
This makes 2 pies!

Recommend buying the pre-chopped pecans – work great!

You can make your own piecrust, but I buy the frozen kosher (NO LARD!) piecrusts already in their pie plates. eg. Smith’s or Marie Callender

If you want it to be Parve, switch out butter for margarine.

Easy pie to travel with.

Implements
Mixer (+ bowl)
various measuring cups & spoons
microwave or small pan/pot to melt butter
spatula

something to chop or smash pecans if you don’t buy the chopped ones