Important Links:
Listen to Steven Petrow read his story, “The Pies That Bind,” from the anthology, The Carolina Table: North Carolina Writers on Food:
Learn more about Steven Petrow, his books, and articles: https://stevenpetrow.com
Listen to Steven’s Ted talk on Manners and Civilities https://www.ted.com/speakers/steven_petrow
To purchase The Carolina Table, click below:
Music for this episode is entitled “Everlasting Yule,” by the group, Home for the Holidays, available on Epidemic Sound.
Everlasting Yule
Episode 9: Show Notes
Baking Stories Into Pies With Steven Petrow
Journalist Steven Petrow talks about the ups & downs of his reign as the family pie king
Pecan pie is serious business to Steven Petrow. It’s not just a cherished and delicious family tradition, but also holds a memory bank of shared gifts, goofs, and changes. Over the years, he has come to appreciate the value of mixing into each pie a good story, regardless of where it lands on the truth meter. He also attempts to sort out the pronunciation controversy over p-e-c-a-n.
Steven Petrow’s Bourbon Pecan Pie
Serves 8
1 cup dark Karo syrup (no maple syrup!)
1 cup white granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon (you can use as little as 2 tablespoons if you prefer)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ to 1 ¾ (about 6 to 7 ounces) whole pecans—the best and freshest you can find; learn as much about them as you can, whether from the farmer or the label.
1 unbaked 9-inch, deep pie crust (I will save the topic of making pie crusts for another time)
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the Karo syrup, sugar, eggs, melted butter, bourbon, and almond extract. Mix well. Pay attention to this next crucial step: Fold in the pecans slowly, making sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the filling. Do not over-mix.
Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust. With your fingers, arrange the topmost layer of pecans so that they lie flat, with the rounded side facing up (no need to become too obsessive).
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, start to talk up the story of your pecans to anyone who will listen.
Bio notes—
Steven Petrow is an award-winning journalist and columnist and author. His work regularly appears in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and in USA Today. He is the author of such books as the best-selling Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Older, Steven Petrow’s Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners, and The New Gay Wedding: A Practical Primer. A former president of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, Steven is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including those from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, the Ucross Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCAA), and the National Press Foundation. In 2017, he became the named sponsor of the Steven Petrow LGBTQ Fellowship at the VCCA, a prize that is awarded annually. Steven lives and bakes in Hillsborough, NC, with his cocker spaniel, Binx Bolling, cheering him on.