This makes one pie and is the “old” 1975 edition of Rombauer and Becker’s Joy of Cooking version, slightly altered. It’s simple and classic. Optional: add 2 tbsp bourbon or rum.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Prepare a pie crust (my favorite recipe here), and roll it out and press it into a pie pan (I prefer 9-inch glass), making sure you’ve crimped the crust over the lip of the pan (so the dough won’t slide into the pan when it gets hot). Return pan and crust to refrigerator while the oven is heating.

When oven is ready, bake the crust for 5–7 minutes, and then set aside to cool. Optional: use a thin layer of pie weights or beans to keep the crust from shifting.

You will need a 375° oven for baking the pie.

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup

Combine and beat thoroughly. Start with just the eggs. When the color has changed, add the sugar and salt, and beat again. Then add the butter and corn syrup and beat until batter is syrupy and homogenous.

Now stir in:

• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup rough-chopped pecans
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dump the mixture into the cooled crust and use your fingers to make sure the upper layer of pecans are turned hump side up across the top of the filling.

Bake 40–50 minutes until a knife inserted in the center of the filling comes out clean.