Honey Pie and an Old Friend

My old friend Gabe was here from out of town this weekend. I haven't seen her for such a long time, but it was as if we hadn't skipped a beat. The conversation was as jam-packed as ever from correlations between blogging and Victorian letter-writing (Gabe is a historian) to whether we should add sour cream to the filling in this honey pecan pumpkin pie recipe (Gabe has a sweet tooth).

Gabe was the first person to tell me how to make pie pastry...I still have the same recipe she wrote down for me in college kept in my favorite recipe keeper, on the same yellow legal paper, in her handwriting. How nostalgic is that? We talked all day, watched a few episodes of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style (it was a stormy Saturday) and decided to bake this pumpkin pie in honor of Fall (adding some ground cardomom, more cinnamon and grated nutmeg (we forgot the sour cream) and topped it with these honeyed pecans (Gabe loves pecans).

Honey Caramel Pecans

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup pecan halves (about 4 ounces)

Preparation

Make pecans:
Place large piece of foil on work surface. Stir sugar, honey, butter and salt in heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, butter melts and syrup comes to simmer. Add pecans. Cook until syrup turns deep caramel color and bubbles thickly, stirring nuts occasionally to coat, about 9 minutes. Scrape onto foil. Working quickly, separate nuts with spoon. Cool completely. Place in airtight container. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store at room temperature.)

When the pecans cool and the pie is done assemble on top..you can use these nuts with any pumpkin pie you like, especially the one in this recipe.