Tujague's Pecan Pie

When the French settled in New Orleans they discovered the pecan. And they promptly made good use of it by creating pecan brittle, pecan pralines, pecan sauce and of course pecan pie. The first pecans I ever ate came from my Grandmother's pecan tree in her backyard. Every Christmas she would send a 50 pound gunny sack of pecans to my mother. My Grandmother's pecans were not those tasteless thin shelled kind; hers had thick shells with just as much shell as meat and 10 times more taste. This recipe for pecan pie is from my mother's uncle whose family owned Tujague's restaurant in New Orleans for more than 70 years.

• Ready In: 0 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  9 inch pie shell, unbaked
• 3  eggs
• 1  cup sugar
• 2⁄3 cup  Dark Karo syrup
• 2  tablespoons butter, melted
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 3  tablespoons armagnac or 3  tablespoons other brandy
• 1 1⁄2 cups pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a glass mixing bowl beat the eggs, blending in the sugar, syrup, butter, vanilla, salt, Armagnac and pecans.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake 10 minutes.
4. Lower the oven to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer or knife inserted into the pie comes out clean.
5. Cool on a wire rack.