I hand-copied this pecan pie recipe years ago on a trip to New Orleans after finding it at a place called The Depot at Madame Julia’s. I’m sharing it here exactly in that spirit: a little slice of travel, a little kitchen lore, and a recipe that still deserves a spot on the table.
The Recipe (as I recorded it)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (big pieces preferred)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
Directions
- Beat the eggs.
- Add brown sugar and light corn syrup; mix well.
- Stir in pecans, vanilla, and bourbon.
- Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
- Bake at 225°F for 90 minutes.
- Increase oven temperature to 300°F and bake 30 minutes more.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Fun, True Pecan Pie Context (New Orleans-friendly)
Pecans are deeply Southern, and the pie is a relatively “modern classic.” Recipes involving pecans show up in American cookbooks in the late 1800s, and versions that resemble today’s pecan pie appear by the turn of the 20th century. Modern pecan pie’s signature gooey filling is strongly associated with corn syrup-era recipes and the 20th-century holiday table.
- Late 1800s / early 1900s: Recipes resembling pecan pie begin showing up in print in the U.S., with roots tied strongly to the South (and especially Texas).
- 1920s–1930s: Corn syrup versions become common; pecan pie’s popularity accelerates, widely credited to Karo’s marketing and recipe promotion.
- Classic formula: Eggs + sugar + syrup + vanilla + pecans = the familiar custardy, set-yet-gooey filling (exactly the family of recipes this one belongs to).
Why bourbon makes sense: Bourbon (or whiskey) shows up often in Southern nut pies, especially in the Gulf/South where a little spirit in the filling is a well-worn tradition.
About “The Depot at Madame Julia’s”
The name The Depot at Madame Julia’s appears in modern travel/business listings associated with New Orleans and the address area around O’Keefe Avenue and Julia Street. (Those listings identify it as a hospitality/guest-house style property rather than a widely documented “historic restaurant institution.”) I’m presenting this recipe as I encountered and recorded it: a recipe attributed on-site to “Madame Julia.”
Sources (for the historical/context notes)
- UNC Press Blog: “A Fresh Look at the History of Pecan Pie”
- Eater: “A Brief History of Pecan Pie”
- Martha Stewart: note on Karo marketing and 1930s popularity
- Karo Syrup: standard modern pecan pie formula (reference)
- Business listing reference for “The Depot at Madame Julia’s” (New Orleans)
- NewOrleans.com: background on Julia Street / Warehouse District context
Pecan Pie from “The Depot at Madame Julia’s” (New Orleans)
I hand-copied this pecan pie recipe years ago on a trip to New Orleans after finding it at a place called The Depot at Madame Julia’s. I’m sharing it here exactly in that spirit: a little slice of travel, a little kitchen lore, and a recipe that still deserves a spot on the table.
(I’ll be adding a photo of my original handwritten recipe card alongside this post.)
The Recipe (as I recorded it)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (big pieces preferred)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
Directions
- Beat the eggs.
- Add brown sugar and light corn syrup; mix well.
- Stir in pecans, vanilla, and bourbon.
- Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
- Bake at 225°F for 90 minutes.
- Increase oven temperature to 300°F and bake 30 minutes more.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Fun, True Pecan Pie Context (New Orleans-friendly)
Pecans are deeply Southern, and the pie is a relatively “modern classic.” Recipes involving pecans show up in American cookbooks in the late 1800s, and versions that resemble today’s pecan pie appear by the turn of the 20th century. Modern pecan pie’s signature gooey filling is strongly associated with corn syrup-era recipes and the 20th-century holiday table.
- Late 1800s / early 1900s: Recipes resembling pecan pie begin showing up in print in the U.S., with roots tied strongly to the South (and especially Texas).
- 1920s–1930s: Corn syrup versions become common; pecan pie’s popularity accelerates, widely credited to Karo’s marketing and recipe promotion.
- Classic formula: Eggs + sugar + syrup + vanilla + pecans = the familiar custardy, set-yet-gooey filling (exactly the family of recipes this one belongs to).
Why bourbon makes sense: Bourbon (or whiskey) shows up often in Southern nut pies, especially in the Gulf/South where a little spirit in the filling is a well-worn tradition.
About “The Depot at Madame Julia’s”
The name The Depot at Madame Julia’s appears in modern travel/business listings associated with New Orleans and the address area around O’Keefe Avenue and Julia Street. (Those listings identify it as a hospitality/guest-house style property rather than a widely documented “historic restaurant institution.”) I’m presenting this recipe as I encountered and recorded it: a recipe attributed on-site to “Madame Julia.”
Sources (for the historical/context notes)
- UNC Press Blog: “A Fresh Look at the History of Pecan Pie”
- Eater: “A Brief History of Pecan Pie”
- Martha Stewart: note on Karo marketing and 1930s popularity
- Karo Syrup: standard modern pecan pie formula (reference)
- Business listing reference for “The Depot at Madame Julia’s” (New Orleans)
- NewOrleans.com: background on Julia Street / Warehouse District context