Over the James River and through the Dinwiddie County woods to Grandma’s house we went for the holidays. the pecan pie only it was worth the trip!
My grandmother “Meme” found her recipe for pecan pie printed in progress rate on Wednesday, February 26, 1964 and was said to be “Mrs. Landon B. Johnson’s favorite cake” (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 of sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
No-bake fluted puff pastry in a 9-inch pie plate or plate
Let the butter sit in a covered medium bowl at room temperature until extremely soft. Add sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla; With a heavy-duty hand-held rotary beater or mixing spoon, beat until well blended. Add the eggs and gently beat until blended. Fold in the nuts. To form puff pastry. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) on the rack directly below the center rack until the top is toasted and the filling sets in the center when the pie is gently shaken, about 40 to 50 minutes.
The edge of the pastry should be golden brown and the bottom pastry should be a pale gold color. If the top of the pie gets very dark towards the end of the baking time, place a foil tent over it. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, serve with unsweetened whipped cream.
I make this cake every Thanksgiving and Christmas because it is absolutely delicious and brings back memories of the holidays I spent at Meme’s Farm in Ford, VA.
Enjoy!