Wade’s Wild Turkey Pecan Pie is (of course) one of my favorite pies. It’s a variation on an old southern favorite–the Bourbon Pecan Pie. It’s just that I prefer baking with Wild Turkey bourbon. It’s all-Kentucky, all the time. (Don’t worry–the alcohol burns off in the cooking. You won’t get tipsy if you eat a piece. It does retain the amazing Wild Turkey flavor, though).
I had a lot on my plate this past Christmas (pun intended) so I didn’t get around to making one of these earthly delights. But I feel a hankering coming on for one in late January or early February. It’s tough to make it through the winter without enjoying this awesome pie. And though it just might possibly be the most dangerous pie on the planet (calorie-wise), I promise myself to give the lion’s share of it away. There–I promised.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon (I prefer Wild Turkey, but choose any good Kentucky Bourbon)
- 1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked*
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 ° F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter.
- Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. (Don’t worry if your pecan pie does not slice up cleanly. They often don’t. If the slice falls apart it won’t matter–the taste is the same. Don’t stress about it, just enjoy.)
*For something truly spectacular, don’t use a store-bought pie crust. Make your own and enjoy a pie the way God intended it. I promise that even though it isn’t the easiest thing to do, you can make a homemade pie crust, and it will absolutely taste homemade, that is to say awesome.
Follow this link and you can find great directions to two of the easiest, best-looking, and best-tasting pie crusts to be found anywhere. I’ve used it many times and it works. Read the directions on the site carefully, particularly the part about having everything cold and not over-working the dough so that it gets warm.
Another tip for making pie crust is to get your shortening (whether butter or lard) very cold, even frozen, and use a shredder to shred it into tiny pea-sized pieces. Then incorporate it into very cold flour. You don’t want the shortening to melt at room temperature. That way your crust will be flaky. Keeping pie crust cold is key.
© Wade Kingston