Texas Pecan Pie

Pecan pie before corn syrup with a custardy filling and lots of pecan flavor, topped with toasted meringue

---

City/Region: Texas

Time Period: 1914

---

Pecans had already been a popular food long before Europeans came to the Americas, but pecan pies as we know them came quite a bit later. The first mention of pecan pie that I found was from 1886, and in the 1930s, Karo put their pecan pie recipe on their labels, which skyrocketed the pie’s popularity. But what went into pecan pies in the at least 50 years they were made before Karo?

This 1914 recipe makes a kind of pecan custard for the filling. It’s smooth, not gelatinous and gooey like modern pecan pie, and isn’t as sickly sweet. You get way more of the pecan flavor in this version as well, and I actually like it more than modern pecan pie.

“Texas Pecan Pie
Cook together one cup of sweet milk, one cupful of sugar, three well beaten eggs, one tablespoonful of flour and one half cupful of finely chopped pecan meats. Line a pie tin with rich crust, fill with the mixture and bake until done. Whip the whites of two eggs with two tablespoonfuls of sugar until stiff, spread over the top of the pie and brown slightly in the oven, sprinkling a few chopped nuts over the top.”

— “Tried Recipes”, Christian Science Monitor, March 24, 1914

---

Ingredients:

Crust

• Your favorite pie dough

Filling

• 1 cup (235 ml) whole milk
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup (65 g) finely chopped pecans
• A pinch of salt
• Pecan halves, for a layer on top of the filling*

Meringue

• 2 egg whites
• 2 to 3 tablespoons castor sugar

*This historical recipe doesn’t include this, but several other contemporary recipes did, and I think it’s pretty

Instructions:

1. For the crust: Line a pie tin with the dough and blind bake. I used a tart tin, which worked well for this amount of filling. If you’re using a deep dish pie tin, double the filling ingredients. To blind bake, line the dough with some foil, then add pie weights and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 12 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and return it to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges and bottom start to brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.
2. For the filling: Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
3. In a saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar, eggs, flour, chopped pecans, and salt. Set it over low heat and gently stir. Be sure to do this over low heat because we want the eggs to thicken the mixture into a custard, not scramble. Cook, stirring constantly, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until it’s slightly thickened. Pour into the cooled pie shell.
4. Add a layer of pecan halves on top of the filling in whatever pattern you wish.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until there’s just a slight wobble in the center.
6. Set the pie on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. For the meringue: Using a very clean and dry bowl and very clean and dry beaters or whisk, beat the egg whites on medium speed until you get soft peaks. Switch to high speed and slowly add in the sugar. Beat until you get shiny, stiff peaks.
8. Spread or pipe the meringue on top of the pie in whatever design you like. Return the pie to the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the meringue browns.
9. Serve it forth.

---