Just need to get pecans and a pie shell. Still have plenty of agave syrup left over from the last time I made low-carb caramel corn.
Float to the top? Clearly, you are indeed NOT an expert! 
In every pecan pie I’ve ever baked, and that’s about 30 pies over the past 7 or so years, the pecans float to the top while baking.
Okay, I’m making two of these, and two of my usual recipe. Four pies! I’ll bring one of each to Christmas Eve dinner, and I’ll keep one of each at home for a side-by-side test.
It’s in the oven, based on the Ann Landers recipe.
Should have put it in earlier. Don’t know if it’s the oven or the changes to the recipe but it’s taking longer than it should. Won’t be done before our friend goes home but she’ll be back tomorrow; we’ll have some after tomorrow’s dinner. I did try the raw mix before adding the nuts; it’s a little different but still recognizable as pecan pie.
The one time I tied pecan pie from scratch, including the pasty (and yes, it was DIVINE), the pecans indeed ‘floated’ up and arranged themselves beautifully, browning and toasting gently. It was SO GOOD, I’ve never made it again. I am afraid I’d eat it weekly and weigh even more. My recipe was from the internet, called “Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie”.
Anyway, the point was, I wondered how the pecans got to the top, but trusted the recipe, and they did indeed look like they’d been carefully arranged. It was neat.
And delicious.
So very delicious.
We must make one again that I may study the floating and arrangement of the pecans.
Yes the pecans do float to the top while baking. When I make mine, I use mostly chopped pecans and then decoratively arrange a few halves on the top. The chopped pieces float to the top but do not visually disturb the arrangement of the halves.
So… I baked both types of pies, Ann Landers’ and the Karo Syrup recipes. I made two of each. At Christmas Eve dinner the reviews were mixed. Some liked Ann Landers’, and others liked Karo. About half and half. At first I liked Ann Landers’, but as I had other pieces (Christmas day, and tonight I just tried both pies), while both are good I prefer the Karo syrup recipe – its inner filling is gelled with a smoother consistency, while Ann Landers’ inner filling is more gritty. The Karo recipe says the pie is cooked when its insides reach 200 F. I confirmed that. Ann Landers’ recipe is runnier, so pouring it into the pie crust it’s liquidy/runny, and it bakes for a shorter time, 45-50 mins vs 60-70 mins. Ann Landers’s doesn’t specify temperature, so I was concerned because the mix is runnier (looser) and the baking time is shorter. But after 45-50 mins its temperature was 200 so I figured it was done.
Both pies cured well, solidifying into a gelled consistency.
So yeah, both are good pies. I mildly prefer the Karo syrup one.
:dubious:
^^ Why dubious?
Chopped pecans fill the pie with smaller pieces. They provide better coverage of the filling, and interfere less when cutting the pie. If using pecan halves throughout, then cutting the pie becomes tricky. And messy. I use some pecan halves arranged on top of the pie for visual appeal, and I find that that works best, all around.
Because it doesn’t taste as good. Also, I’ve never had a problem cutting pies with halves.
What do you cut it with, an industrial laser?
In my experience, the pie comes apart before a knife will slice through a baked pecan.
My experience matches yours.
You must have some mighty hard nuts!
I generally use a steak knife, since they’re handy.
Mrs. Plant(v.3.0) often complains about my grocery shopping.