Caramel Pecan Pie

Grandma's recipes are the best! This one is from a dear reader, Ann Costa. She had mentioned the butter quantity to me, and I loved it so much I am using it in my current book: Song of Home. Thanks for sharing, Ann!

Carmel Pecan Pie

Included are the original version and the one I have my students use.  

The original version's directions are a little hard for 7th and 8th graders to follow. 

This recipe my mother, Emma Jean Jones, received from one of her McLaughlin cousins, Doris Franklin.  Doris was my Grandmother Eoff's sister's (Aunt Iola) son's wife.  Mother said she didn't remember when she received the recipe.  She is 87 now.  But it was some time after she was married over 65 years ago.  

Original recipe
Butter the size of a hen egg
1 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
Boil until thickens and brown
Cool a little

2 Tablespoons flour
4 egg yolks (reserve whites for topping)
1 can canned milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Cook until warm

Add first part
Cook until thick
Pour into cooked pie crust
Top with egg whites

Recipe I use with my students

Measure all ingredients into separate bowls before you start to prepare the recipe

INGREDIENTS LIST
CRUST

1 pre cooked pie shell
Filling:
butter the size of a hen egg (1/4 c. or 4 T.)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c water
2T. flour (1/8 c.)
4 egg yolks (reserve egg whites in mixer bowl, to make the meringue topping)
1 can evaporated milk
1t. Mexican vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans

MERINGUE
4 egg whites (room temperature - reserved from filling ingredients)
1/4 t. cream of tarter
8 T. sugar
1 t. Mexican vanilla

DIRECTIONS

FILLING PART ONE:
Combine butter,sugar, and water in a 2 qt. sauce pan. 

Bring to a rolling boil. 

Reduce heat and continue cooking at a low boil until mixture thickens and has turned to a brown color. Remove from heat source and cool while preparing part two.

FILLING PART TWO:
Combine flour, egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and pecans in a 3 qt. sauce pan. 

Cook on medium low heat until
warm. Add part one mixture. Cook until mixture is thick. 

Pour mixture into prepared pie shell, top with meringue.

MERINGUE:
Beat egg whites and cream of tarter until foamy. 

Add sugar gradually (1 T. at a time), continue beating until sugar is incorporated and the egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks. 

Beat in vanilla. 

Spoon mixture over the pie, carefully sealing meringue to the edge of the crust. 

Smooth the surface of the meringue or decorate using the back of a spoon or a fork to pull peaks into the surface of the meringue.

Bake at 400º until meringue is light brown (8 to 12 minutes). 

Remove from the oven.