MSMT PECAN PIE (2024)

FAQs

How do southerners pronounce pecan pie? ›

Many people believe Southerners say “pee-can” while Northerners say “puh-kahn.” According to the National Pecan Shellers Association (which, we assume, is the foremost authority on all things pecan), only 45 percent of Southerners are Team Pee-can—unlike 70 percent of people in the Northeast.

Sugar content and crust are the two main reasons that make any pie a high caloric source. If you try to limit their use and look for substitutes, you can make a completely healthy pecan or pumpkin pie.

Blind Bake

The most common way to ward off a soggy pie crust is by a process called blind baking. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust (sometimes covered with parchment or foil and weighed down with pie weights to prevent the crust from bubbling up) so that it sets and crisps up before you add any wet filling.

How do YOU say pecan? It shows that pee-KAHN is dominant nationwide, but in areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi, pick-AHN reigns supreme. PEE-can is popular on the East Coast and in New England, while folks from Wisconsin, northern Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula go with PEE-kahn.

Usually a pastry top but it can be meringue in lemon meringue pie or potato in shepherds pie. Otherwise, it's a tart. The most unhealthy “pie” is treacle tart. This is wall-to-wall sugar in a pastry base.

Mounds of pecans can contribute to high calories and fat in a pecan pie. Traditionally prepared pecan pie has about 550 calories. With ½ cup vanilla ice cream, the calories go up to 700. That's 35% of your recommended daily calories just for dessert.

With an astounding 620 calories per slice, pecan pie dominates the contest from a caloric standpoint. Pecans themselves provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals and are thought to be healthy for the heart.

And on that note…by pricking the crust all over with a fork, not only do you prevent it from puffing up into unsightly deformities, you also allow tiny holes for some of the filling to seep underneath which — hear me out! — transforms the crust into this buttery toffee-like deliciousness. Third, the toasted pecans.

But let's not underestimate the egg wash, a small but important step that gives the crust its shine. Lending countless baked goods (pie crust, pastries, breads, and more) a glistening golden shell, an egg wash also helps seal the dough, providing a protective barrier from the heat of the oven.

Water evaporates more quickly up here, and when you mix together super sugary, buttery, liquid-y ingredients and blast them in a hot oven, the vaporizing water leaves behind a cauldron of boiled-down, molten sugar that can bubble, then violently blow its way out of its crust.

Is it pronounced peecan or pecan? ›

We can all rest assured that there is no one proper pronunciation for the word pecan; though, the most accepted is "pi-KAHN." The word pecan originated from the Algonquin term pacane and the iteration we are most familiar with was used in the mid-1700s. From there, pronunciation trends really seem to vary.

It's urban versus rural. I've met people from upstate New York who say “pee-can,” and people from Charleston, South Carolina, who say “pah-cahn.” In my book, I told the story of my own parents and their “mixed marriage”: He was from Americus, a small town in South Georgia, and she was from the mighty city of Atlanta.

pick-AHN — popular in areas like Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. PEE-kahn — popular in areas like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Wisconsin and northern Minnesota.