The Recipe Olivia Hudson Gray

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Press together two shells in a 9 x 13 (double filling) pan

Mix:

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. lt. corn syrup

2/3 c. sugar

16 tsp. oleo

4 oz. unsweetened choc. melted

2 tsp. vanilla

Stir in:

2 c. broken pecans

Pour in shell and bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I first saw this recipe carefully written on an automobile purchase order form in the sinuous penmanship of a calligrapher, each letter ostensibly mislaid in place of the date, vendor, pattern, and DRB size. Meticulous precision was in every stroke. A blot of blood stained the corner, and coffee spots tarnished the edges, revealing a clear passion for more than food.

I can picture my grandma at her desk, bored with the endless task of pushing paper at Papa’s Chevrolet dealership in Olney, Illinois. Forced to stay yet another hour but lacking in attention-grabbing labor, she slips an order form from the desk drawer. Pen to paper, she transcribes the famous chocolate pecan pie recipe all the neighborhood kids - not to mention her own daughters - pine for after school. She does not want to forget it.

Now I sit, not at a desk, but at a granite countertop. A myriad of recipes scratched in eloquent scripts by an assortment...