How to select pecans for your pecan pie recipe
Folks at Priester's Pecan Company have a lot of opinions about making a
pecan pie. Co-owner Thomas Ellis grew up eating the pies made by his
mother May, and helped introduce the pecan pie to Priester's customers
in the 1980's. Here Thomas shares tips on selecting the best
pecans for your pie.
You can start with pecans
in the shell, and then carefully storing pecans
for peak freshness and flavor.
Tips: Selecting Pecans for your pie
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Seek out a supplier who specializes in nuts.
"You may be able to find pecans in your local grocery store, but
insist on a bright, light-colored kernel that is sweet in flavor.
Anything less suggests a nut that's on the way to becoming rancid.
Buying from a nut specialist can help you be certain of getting a
great tasting pecan."
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Select the right size pecan for the filling.
"Start with medium pecan pieces, or large pecan pieces if available.
These are pecans that have been cut or crushed to a certain size. You
can use mammoth
pecan pieces, and even pecan halves in the filling. But for the
best texture, presentation on the plate, and feel in the mouth,
Priester's prefers large
pecan pieces for the pie filling."
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Choose heavy-meated pecans.
"Eggs are eggs. But with the pecans, you should be extremely
selective, as their quality will have a big outcome on the success of
your pie. A better pecan is heavy-meated, bright golden in color, and
solid in feel. A good heavy-meated pecan that has been turned into
large pieces doesn't taste or feel the same as a pecan that's already
small and then cut into smaller pieces. Starting from a heavy-meated
pecan, the taste is much better."
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Garnish the top of the pie with halves.
"Pecan pieces are nice for the filling, as the pie cuts better with
the fork. But for a pie that looks great on the table, place some
pecan halves on the top or around the crust."
Thomas Ellis, co-owner
Prefer to leave the baking to us? See our Old Fashion Pecan
Pies, and chocolate
pecan pie, too. Explore great southern recipes from our family and
friends in "Dining on the Victorian Verandah," the first Priester's cookbook. Or learn
about the 510
pie tests it took to make the perfect pecan pie. Feel like cooking
up a storm? Perhaps you'd like to enter our Blue
Ribbon Good Recipe Contest?
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