We vacationed on the James River and through the Dinwiddie County woods to Grandma’s house. The pecan pie only It was worth the trip!
My grandmother, “Meme”, found her recipe for pecan pie printed on The rate of progress on Wednesday February 26, 1964 and was said to be “Mrs. Landon B. Johnson’s Favorite Cake” (typo and all). The recipe is actually the masterpiece of Zephyr Wright, the Johnson family’s White House cook.
White House Pecan Pie
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
No-bake ribbed puff pastry shell in 9-inch cake pan or plate
Let the butter rest in a covered medium bowl at room temperature until extremely smooth. Add sugar, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla; Using a sturdy handheld rotary mixer or mixing spoon, beat until well blended. Add the eggs and beat gently until just combined. Fold in the walnuts. For in pastry shell. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) on the rack directly below the center rack until the top is toasted and the filling is set in the center when the cake is gently stirred, about 40 to 50 minutes.
The rim of the puff pastry should be golden brown and the puff pastry on the bottom pale gold. If the top of the cake gets very dark towards the end of the bake time, place a tin foil tent over it. Let cool on a wire rack. If desired, serve with unsweetened whipped cream.
I make this cake every Thanksgiving and Christmas because it is absolutely delicious and brings back memories of the vacation I spent at Meme’s Farm in Ford, VA.
Enjoy!