Vermont Inspirations

Oh what a beautiful Thursday in October. It’s National Vermont Day. When you think of Vermont, what are the first things that come to mind? Fall foliage and maple syrup, right? At least that’s what I think of anyway.

Fall foliage bring on so many memories. Growing up in the central part of California, we didn’t have the vivid changing of the seasons. We had blistering summers with beautiful green trees, followed by the crispness of autumn and all the leaves turned brown. Winter meant rain or fog, and a gloomy dampness that penetrated deep into your bones. Spring budded out and the world seemed new again. So while we did have seasons in a sense, ours paled in comparison to true seasonal changes.

As a young girl, I wished we had colorful seasons. And that we would go to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving. That just wasn’t in the cards. Lola (my maternal grandmother) lived in the Philippines, and didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. While my paternal grandmother had died long before I ever existed. No, Thanksgiving was at our house, with a blend of American Traditions and Filipino accents.

Vermont got me to dreaming once more of fall colors and a Normal Rockwell-Father Knows Best Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, our Thanksgiving were amazing – a house filled with family and food and memories. We were just missing Grandma and Grandpa and the colors of the season.

I guess you could say today I’m thinking ahead. The older I get, the more precious family time and holidays become to me. I want to create memories that will continue on long after I’ve gone home. One of the ways to do that is by spending time not only around the family table, but together, in the kitchen, creating moments that are special.

I really think this Vermont Inspired Pecan Pie is going to make an appearance at our table this year. Maybe it will inspire you to think ahead, too.

Vermont Maple Pecan Pie
1 refrigerated Pie Dough Disk
3 large Eggs
3 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Vermont Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Pecan Halves

Follow direction on the pie dough for use. Bring eggs to room temperature and melt the butter.

Heat oven to 375-degrees.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pie dough to 1/8-inch thick circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie tin. Trim crust to a half-inch beyond the rim of the pie plate, flute edges. Refrigerated dough to chill while the filling is prepared.

In a bowl, whisk eggs with sugar until smooth. Add maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla, the salt and pecan halves. Remove crust from the refrigerator, pour filling into the pie pan.

Place in the heated oven to bake for about 35 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Should the edges begin to brown too quickly, cover with pie shield or strips of foil.

Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack for an hour before slicing. Store any remaining pie in the refrigerator.

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Blessed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked