Whenever our extended family gathers for a holiday dinner, I’m expected to prepare the pecan pie. That’s because I love to put grits in the South’s favorite pie! The sweetened grits-enhanced filling adds a hint of texture and makes a perfect pecan pie. You can use a store-bought pastry shell in a pinch, but I think it tastes much better in the Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup uncooked stone-ground yellow grits
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups broken pecan halves, divided
• Single-Crust Version of Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust

Preparation

1. Combine water and grits in a small saucepan; stir and let stand 1 minute. Carefully remove husks floating on top of water, using a small strainer. Add salt to grits; place over high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until thick, stirring often. (When cooking this small amount of grits, cover pan to avoid losing too much liquid as steam during cooking.) Cover and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan; add sugar and corn syrup, and cook over medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Whisk cooked grits into butter mixture; cool slightly. Whisk eggs and vanilla into butter mixture until blended.
3. Preheat oven to 325°. Place 1 cup broken pecan halves in bottom of unbaked Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust. Pour grits mixture over pecans in pie crust. Sprinkle with additional 1/2 cup pecans, and stir pecans very gently to coat with syrup and distribute evenly. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until set. (Shield edges of crust with aluminum foil after about 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if needed.)

This recipe goes with Pecan-Grits Pie.

Use this delicious crust with pecan, pumpkin, or apple pies – it has a delicate texture and browns nicely. Most cookbooks recommend a pastry blender for cutting shortening and/or butter into the flour mixture. Maybe because it’s what Mother did – but I prefer to use my fingers to cut in the shortening. I usually remember the “proper method” and pick up a pastry blender to cut in the chunks of butter, but always go back to my fingers to make sure the mixture feels just right.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup finely ground or sifted stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup cold shortening
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 4 to 5 tablespoons buttermilk

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; cut in shortening and butter with a pastry blender or fingertips until mixture is about the size of small peas.
2. Sprinkle buttermilk evenly over surface; stir with a fork just until dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Cover and chill 1 hour, if desired. Roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface (about 12-inch diameter). Place in a 9-inch pie plate; fold edges under, and crimp.

These mini pecan pies are perfect for holiday get-togethers. They’re a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and surprisingly easy to prepare!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Beat 1 cup butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed. Shape mixture into 48 balls, and place on a baking sheet; cover and chill 1 hour.
2. Place 1 dough ball into each lightly greased muffin cup in mini muffin pans, shaping each into a shell.
3. Whisk together brown sugar and next 5 ingredients. Spoon into tart shells.
4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks 20 minutes or until completely cool.

Note

If you don’t have four mini muffin pans, you can bake these in batches. Keep the extra dough chilled until you’re ready to use it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Raspberry Sauce
• Toppings: powdered sugar, fresh raspberries

Preparation

1. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate squares in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
2. Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup granulated sugar, beating until blended. Gradually add chocolate mixture, flour, vanilla, and salt, beating until blended. Stir in 2/3 cup chopped pecans.
3. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate.
4. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until center is firm. Serve pie warm with Raspberry Sauce and desired toppings.

Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons sugar
1 (16-ounce) package frozen raspberries (do not thaw)

Preparation

Cook syrup and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add raspberries, and cook, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until thickened. Pour mixture through fine wire-mesh strainer; press with back of a spoon against sides of strainer to squeeze out sauce, discarding solids.