Cooking At Home: Special Request

For more than 25 years I've been trying to figure out just exactly how I fit into the menu landscape at my in-laws holiday gatherings. My sisters and brothers in-law all seem to have their "thing" – the dish that everyone loves and knows is theirs because they've been bringing it forever, that which the meal is incomplete without. As my husband is the youngest in his family, I came late to this game and have never quite been able to eek out a corner of the menu to call my own.

A few Novembers ago I set my sights on pecan pie, a dessert I was surprised had never made an appearance at the Perron family Thanksgiving. It was always on the table in my childhood home and, truth be told, I missed it. Though my husband (who has a nut allergy) tried to convince me for years that NO ONE in his family would eat it, my Salted Bourbon Pecan Pie was better than well received – it was quickly requested again and has been for several occasions since.