Our family Thanksgiving dinner always used to end with apple pie, because it would have been unthinkable not to have my mom’s perfectly perfect apple pie, and also pecan pie, because my sister-in-law Eileen, who claims she isn’t a good cook, nevertheless makes one spectacular pecan pie.

Unfortunately, my daughter Gillian is allergic to pecans, so we haven’t served pecan pie on Thanksgiving for decades. 

No problems. I love to fuss and fix recipes. So I came up with nut pie versions that didn’t cause a health problem and were also really tasty. Like this one for Honey Hazelnut pie. Which you could also make with cashews or pistachios.

Honey Hazelnut Pie 

2/3 cup honey

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped hazelnuts

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the honey, sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract in a bowl and blend them thoroughly with a whisk. Stir in the flour, salt, hazelnuts and apricots. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crusty. Makes one pie serving 8 people

For some reason today is National Pecan Pie Day. Somehow I always associate Pecan Pie with Thanksgiving, but who cares. Pecan Pie is a wonder of sugar and nuts and the kind of sweet-tooth satisfier that you can eat anytime.

Unfortunately, we can’t at my house. My daughter is extremely allergic to pecans, so over the years I have made Pecan Pie without the pecans.

We’ve had Cashew pie. Almond Pie. Macadamia, Peanut, Hazelnut.

As the ancient philosopher philosophized: necessity is the Mother of invention.

So, for National Pecan Pie Day, here’s a recipe for Honey Hazelnut Pie.

Honey Hazelnut Pie

2/3 cup honey

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons melted butter

1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 cup chopped hazelnuts

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees. Combine the honey, sugar, eggs and melted butter in a bowl and whisk the ingredients until well blended. Stir in the flour, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and blend in thoroughly. Stir in the apricots and hazelnuts. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is richly brown and crunchy. Makes one pie

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