Review: Butter Pecan Apple Pie

My brother, John, sent me this recipe. He made it for Thanksgiving in 2003. I had some of the pie way back then, and when he suggested I make it, I don't think I really realized how much work it would take.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
Filling:
6 cups thinly sliced apples
2 tablespoons lime juice
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pastry for 9” double crust pie
2 tablespoons butter

Topping
8 large marshmallows
¼ cup evaporated milk
1-1/2 cup chopped pecans
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
½ Cup brown sugar

Directions:
Filling:

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lime juice. Combine dry ingredients. Add to apples. Toss lightly.
2. Place bottom pastry in pie pan. Fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Flute edges high.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven.

Topping:

1. Cook sugar, ½ stick of butter, marshmallows and ¼ cup evaporated milk over medium heat until butter is melted. Add 1 cup pecans. Cook until softball stage or 236 degrees. Remove from heat.
2. Add vanilla and beat until mixture is thickened. Drop onto greased wax paper or non-stick cookie sheet spayed with vegetable spray. Let cool completely. Crumble and set aside.
   
3. In medium saucepan, sauté remaining pecans in ¼ cup butter. Butter should be rich and golden color. Add pecan crumbles from above. Remove pieces from butter.
   
4. Add ½ cup brown sugar and cream. Cook until boiling. Add sautéed pecans to boiling mixture. Pour over pie. Bake 3-4 minutes until bubbly. Cool 30 minutes.

My review/comments:

This recipe was intense. It was very time-consuming and quite laborious. I found myself really stressing out over the definition of "softball stage," and I don't think I ended up cooking the praline long enough. After it cooled it was very hard but also extremely chewy. To answer the questions:

• Was the recipe easy to follow? Not really. I definitely could have used some pictures. Or else a candy thermometer would have been nice. I think the ingredients didn't list the right amount for certain things like butter.
  
• Did the dish taste good? Oh yes, very good.
  
• Will you make it again? Despite the laborious nature of this recipe, I will probably make it again, especially if I have a pastry knife, a candy thermometer and a load of time on my hands.

When it all boils down to it, this pie was so yummy it almost negates all the labor involved.