Pie is as synonymous with Thanksgiving as turkey is — and maybe even more. After all, no vegetarian turns down pie.
If you’re looking for some new ideas for that holiday dessert spread, this recipe comes from Zephyr Wright, the personal chef for the household of former President Lyndon Johnson — and it carries profound meaning. When the Johnsons moved to the White House from Texas, Wright couldn’t board the same flight because of Jim Crow laws and struggled to find adequate rest stops along the segregated route from Marshall, Texas, to Washington, D.C. Johnson said that hearing about Wright’s experiences influenced his signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Wright was known as “the queen of the kitchen,” and her specialty was this rich, gooey pecan pie. You’ll find the recipe for this pie and many other historic baked goods in “Baking in the American South” (Harper Celebrate, $45) by Anne Byrn, the former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Tennessean.
Zephyr Wright’s Pecan Pie
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
9-inch pie crust, homemade or storebought.
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1½ to 2 cups pecan halves
DIRECTIONS
Line a pie tin with the pastry crust, crimp the edges and set it aside in the fridge. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, with a rack in the lower middle.
Place the sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine well. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir into the mixture. Fold in the pecans.
Pour the filling into the pie crust and, using a fork, arrange the pecan halves on top so the rounded sides are up.
Place the pan in the oven and bake until the pie is deeply golden brown and no longer jiggles when you shake the pan, 40 to 45 minutes. (If necessary, shield the crust with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.)
Remove the pan from the oven and let the pie cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. If possible, bake a day in advance and keep lightly covered at room temperature.
Excerpt from “Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories” by Anne Byrn. Copyright © 2024 by Anne Byrn. Photographs © 2024 by Rinne Allen. Used by permission of Harper Celebrate.