Southern Nut Pie Eudora

Southern Nut Pie Eudora

Our dessert chef, Susan Harville, was excited when she heard that one of her favorite writers, Eudora Welty, was coming to Ithaca to give a reading from her work. Susan made this pie to present to Miss Welty as a token of her appreciation. Miss Welty very graciously accepted the pie and said, the pleasure you've had from reading my work? Why, surely it couldn't add up to a whole pecan pie!

Maple syrup, one of our favorite harvests from Ithaca's surrounding hillsides, gives a Northern twist to our version of a Southern classic.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (p. 253)   
3 eggs, well beaten 1 cup maple syrup
11/2 cups pecan or walnut halves   
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract    apple slices
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour   
freshly whipped cream or ice cream V2 teaspoon salt


Pocedures:
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Spread the nuts evenly across the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.
Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, vanilla, and flour.
Add the salt, eggs, maple syrup, and cream and mix thoroughly.
Pour the liquid mixture over the nuts in the pie shell. The nuts will float.
Push them down into the liquid with the back of a spoon to wet them, so they won't burn during baking.
Bake at 375° for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clea
Let the pie cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve plain or with a few crisp apple slices and a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.