Welcome back to the kitchen, friends! In today’s episode of Sunday morning old cookbook show, we’re taking on a challenge – making not one, but three pecan pie recipes.
Before we dive into the recipes, let’s set some ground rules. Pecan pie, like many traditional recipes, didn’t have a eureka moment. It evolved over time, with each version inspired by prior culinary traditions. Recipes were often shared orally or on scraps of paper, leading to gaps in our historical knowledge. So, my research is based on my collection of cookbooks and various databases, recognizing their limitations.
Now, about pecans – botanically, they’re not nuts, but we’ll refer to them as nuts for culinary purposes. And pronunciation? Well, unless you speak one of the original North American native languages, there’s no universally agreed-upon way to say “pecan.”
Let’s jump into the first pie – a custard pie, a timeless classic found in cookbooks worldwide since the 1700s. The earliest American version, dubbed “pecan pie,” appeared in Harper’s Bazaar in 1886. It featured a rich custard with pecans, setting the stage for what was once called Texas pecan pie.
Forward to September 1922, and we encounter what I’ll call the birthplace of the modern pecan pie. This recipe, focused solely on sugar, omitting milk. It marked a shift in pecan pie evolution and was likely inspired by earlier sugar pies found in various cultures.
The 1920s witness a boom in pecan availability due to improved agricultural practices. The once scarce pecans become more accessible, leading to a surge in pecan-centric recipes.
By 1925, corn syrup enters the scene, transforming pecan pies into the familiar sweet and gooey treat we know today. Companies like Karo Corn Syrup jump on the bandwagon, later claiming to have invented pecan pie, a claim debunked by historical evidence.
In 1929, we see the term “old-fashioned pecan pie,” solidifying the recipe we recognize today. Over time, variations emerge, incorporating ingredients like vinegar, buttermilk, and spices.
Now, let’s taste the results. We’ve got a custard pie, Myrtle’s pecan pie, and a 1925 buttermilk-infused creation. Each has its unique twist, showcasing the diverse evolution of pecan pie recipes. While some may argue for their favorite, the truth is, every family has its pecan pie tradition, and they’re all worth savoring.
If you have pre-1920 cookbooks with pecan pie recipes that break the custard mold, I’d love to see them. Let’s fill in the gaps and complete the story of this beloved dessert. Thanks for joining me in this culinary journey, and I look forward to sharing more delicious stories with you soon.
1886 Harpers Bazaar Pecan Pie:
PECAN PIE
not only delicious, but is capable of being made “a real state pie,” as an enthusiastic admirer said. The pecans must be very carefully hulled, and the meat thoroughly freed from any bark or husk. When ready, throw the nuts into boiling milk, and let them boil while you are preparing a rich custard. Have your pie plates lined with good pastry, and when the custard is ready, strain the milk from the nuts and add them to the custard. A méringue may be added, if liked, but very careful baking is necessary.
1922 Governor Of Texas Pecan Pie:
Pecan Pie.
By MRS. PAT NEFF
(Wife of the Governor of Texas).
Into the yolks of 4 eggs cream 1½ cups of sugar.
Add 1 teaspoonful melted butter to 1 tablespoonful vinegar and 1 teaspoonful of vanilla.
Stir into this 1½ cups of pecans and 1½ cups of raisins.
Add last the beaten whites of 4 eggs.
Bake in a moderate oven. This makes two pies.
1925
Pecan Pie
Two cups pecans chopped fine.
One cup sugar.
One cup vinegar
One cup syrup
One-half cup buttermilk.
One-half cup flour.
Two eggs.
Butter size of an egg.
One teaspoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon
One teaspoon soda dissolved in the one half cup of water.
Mix sugar and flour together dry.
Melt butter, mix all together, pour in- uncooked crust.
Put strips pastry across top.
Bake in moderate oven 30 -40 minutes
0:00 Pie 1 1886 (Texas) Custard Pecan Pie
6:45 Pie 2 1922 Texas Governor Pecan Pie
15:25 Pie 3 Vinegar Buttermilk Pecan Pie
23:15 Tasting Pecan Pies
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L1S 0E9
44 Comments
This claims to be a 1900 cookbook and has a recipe for pecan pie (sugar pie style): See page 47 of A Book of Famous Old New Orleans Recipes. However, the typeface (font) does not look circa 1900 to me… nor does the comb binding. It suggests mid-20th century. I'm guessing 1900 is a typo for 1960.
Last night I made your 1925 pie for todays Thanksgiving dinner. We haven’t tasted it yet, but it’s beautiful!
My family's pecan pie is less sticky and has no karo. From 1900 – 1920. I don't have the recipe any more, but I remember it used brown sugar, a whole stick of melted butter, several eggs, and a couple tablespoons of corn meal. "Great Aunt Effie's Chess Pie – add pecans if desired"
Pecans arent nuts; neither are cashews or peanuts. Are there any nuts that are actually nuts? Is a nut like a black hole: we know they exist but we have no physical proof
If you take the meringue off the top of a pie and fold it into the filling, that’s a chiffon pie.
This is very interesting information about the history of pecan pies. 🎉
I know it’s a big wish—is there a pecan pie recipe without any eggs and corn syrup?
I am always amazed when people think of pecans as exotic. They are native to my part of Oklahoma and literally come up by the dozens in my yard every year. The squirrels plant them in the flowerbeds and because of their long taproot can be difficult to pull up. We have trouble growing maples here, too hot and humid. Every clime has its fine points.
Me seeing pumpkin pineapple pie when I have both those items sitting in my fridge..
At 25:45 'What izz that" 🤣 and at 27:20 🤣
Glen, you're hilarious.
Awesome work – again mate 👍👍
Pecan Pie made with Golden Syrup and Brown sugar is a very common recipe in Australia.
Thanks!
We made the 3rd vinegar pie, we loved the reactions from the video. It was too heavy on vinegar for us. Not sure if we would make it again or make some adjustments. We made a normal pecan pie and this to Thanksgiving. The reactions were not as good as this video. Also i was told they homeade their vinegar in the olden days and it may not have been as strong? 🤔
Interesting research on pecan pies. I'd enjoy seeing research on cornbread. White or yellow meal, sugar no sugar.
What kind of vinegar might he be using, apple cider vinegar? There was a reddish tint if I recall.
thank you for setting the rules and the stories, so glad this tripped across my feed again.
No to corn that is not heirloom and worked by hand &/or horses or mules.
Sorghum is far superior to CS
@glenandfriendscooking I note none of these 3 nor the earlier one include boiling the sugar and tempering the eggs. While more diffucult (I've cooked the eggs more than once), I've always prefered the resulting pie.
Any reason you didn't include one? I noticed 2 like that at the end.
And what does that method do that changes the result that I like so much?
Another interesting video. Your awesome.
The 1925 pie is very similar to the buttermilk pie that is very popular in the south USA! Great video! Great information! I appreciate the time you put in your research!
I would consider a pie where you fold in the whipped egg whites rather than putting them on top a chiffon pie rather than a meringue pie.
Thank you, Glen for the history lesson. Thank you, Antoine for giving us all the opportunity to taste the pecan.
I never gre up eating pecan pies. I do remember having pecan butter tarts in my early teens, so i guess it wasn't a thing here in Newfoundland in the 80s…or my family didn't make it regardless.
A lot of people have pecan trees in their yards in Oklahoma where I live. Pecan pie is my dad's favorite kind of pie. I like it, too, but it's far from my favorite. I really like seeing these different variations and hearing about the history of them!
I love your story videos I always watch them a few times so I learn about the recipes.
i love that youve included all the recipes at the end, maybe someone will find the origin of their families passed down pies? it would be so interesting if anyone remembers how those family recipies changed over generations too
So… Just seeing this video today… I suffer from casein sensitivity and IBS… So I've never had a "standard" pecan pie. I found a recipe online for vegan pecan pie and the pie I've had the crust is blind baked and never put the pecans "in" the filling… Also the pecans I believe are "pralined" before topping the filling. From others that have had standard pecan pie they would never believe that "my" pie is vegan.
Glad to see the history of something I love so much
On the Texas Pecan Pie, what is considered a "moderate oven" and how long do you bake the pie?
I have a pecan tree in my backyard. It is old I think. Huge.
There’s something going by the name Japanese Fruit Pie that has pecans in it. The fruit part is golden raisins and coconut added to a pecan pie filling.
I always expected a pecan pie to taste like an English treacle tart with added pecans – pecan pie not ever being a thing when I was growing up in the UK or Australia. Then got sort of disappointed when it doesn’t. I love pecan and maple syrup pastries. Maybe I need to make the treacle tart and add pecans to it 🙂
Are these recipes for nine inch pie plates?
Dude, you rock.
Julie's comments at the end make me wonder about the behind the scenes; Glenn surrounded by dusty tomes, face lit by a glowing computer screen, saying "Hey Jul's lookit I found"!
My Grandmother made a transparent pie. She was from Nothern KY. She never told anyone the recipe nor did she write it down. My Mom said it reminded her of pecan pie without the pecans. I have looked and looked but have never been able to find a recipe for transparent pie. My Grandmother passed away in 1950 and was in her 60s
The recipe with the buttermilk and vinegar reminds me of what we call a Chess Pie or Buttermilk Chess Pie. I'm in Alabama, USA
I used to keep my sailboat on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake in Maryland. I remember driving down to it and seeing this weird crop in the fields, something I'd never seen growing up in Southern Ontario. Turns out it was Sorghum. Now after watching your vid I want to seek out some Sorghum syrup.
I thought I would run away after starting this – but the narrative style is so interesting! You really did a good job explaining the evolution and – now I want a pecan pie. (I hate corn syrup) I may go to Myrtle – delete raisins and add vinegar and buttermilk
Thank you 🙏🏼 man I’ve not had a Pecan Pie that made me cry since 1978 when my beloved.grandma passed! My mom made hers I’m guessing with Karo, she’s passed too so…in looking at her recipe box I tried it. 🤢to sweet I gagged. I’m going to try the latter two you guys made probably the middle pie..minus raisins! Eee gads 🤮
Since turkey day is over…Wishing you two and everyone else here a Very Very Merry Christmas 🎄 🥧
How long do you cook the second pie?
How long did you end up baking the 1920 pie?
I used a Karo syrup recipe to make a pecan pie. Worst recipe ever. I will never use Karo syrup for anything again. Worst mistake of my life. I still can’t bring myself to attempt a pecan pie again. Still makes my eye twitch thinking about it. Your video gives me non-Karo options my shrink will be glad to hear about.
You should reallly try a pecan pie made with blue cane syrup… the flavor notes of blue cane are wonderful.
One other contributor to commercial pecan production was the scientific documentation that pecans require zinc in the soil to get a really decent yield from a pecan tree.
You can find mesh boxes strapped to the side of pecan trees with elemental zink chunks inside so zinc oxide slowly enrishes the soil around the tree with every rainstorm.
Why is the 2nd pie essentially a butter custard? What is a butter custard?
Forget all this. What is the name of that “mid-Atlantic lemon pie”?