His four-footed friends Petey and Sombra keep Bill Bond company on a field trip in the mountains.
“I’ve always liked to cook,” says William Bond of Tucson, Arizona. “I remember standing on a wooden apple box to reach the countertop so I could help my mother with baking and canning. It was 65 miles one way into town. My mother would joke, ‘I can everything but the kids!’
“When I was in 8th grade the village where I grew up had a cherry pie baking contest. I took first prize for best looking and best tasting pie. That was fun!”
Bill put his talents to the test when a friend came to him with a request for a Pumpkin Pecan Pie. “She wanted this combination for Thanksgiving. After a few failed attempts I found out I could float the pecan filling on top of the pumpkin filling and it worked. WOW! That was in 1981 and I’ve been making this pie ever since.
“In the last two years I have made and given away 30-40 pies between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” continues William, who is now a retired elementary school teacher. “I have great fun doing this…and somehow, each year the empty pie plates seem to find their way back to me for a refill.”
No holiday meal is complete without pie, and this recipe from Bill makes two beautiful, delicious pies that will delight pecan pie lovers AND pumpkin pie lovers.
Crust: Using a fork or your fingers, mix the butter with the flour, sugar and salt until it looks likes peas and crumbles. Drizzle the milk in bit by bit, using the fork or a spoon to blend the crust until it just sticks together. Divide the dough in half and pat into discs. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out. On a well-floured surface, roll the discs from the center to the outer edges with a well-floured rolling pin. Add more flour if needed. Roll until the circles are larger than your pie pans. Gently ease the crusts into the pans.
Pumpkin Layer: Prepare the pumpkin layer while the crust dough is chilling. Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl, beat together the pumpkin, sugar, salt, CINNAMON, ALLSPICE and VANILLA until well mixed. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Divide the pumpkin mixture evenly between the two crust-lined pie plates. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Check the pies by jiggling them gently. You don’t want the pies to be completely set, you want them to still be slightly under-baked but not runny. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the pecan layer.
Pecan Layer: In a mixing bowl, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and VANILLA. Mix well. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Fold in the pecans. Divide the pecan mixture between the two pies and return them to the 350° oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
Nutritional Information: Servings 24;
Serving Size 1 slice (87g); Calories 280; Calories from fat 140; Total fat 16g; Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 180mg; Carbohydrate 33g; Dietary Fiber 2g.
