Southern Pecan Pie

Nothing in my family’s background would lead anyone to suspect that my dad is a pecan pie addict. We don’t eat typical American sweets. Our idea of snack food is preserved salty plums, and our usual dessert is some sort of red bean–filled pastry. But somehow Dad picked up the pecan pie–loving gene. I’ve made various versions of a traditional Karo syrup pecan pie recipe for him for years to satisfy his craving. Lightly caramelizing the sugar helps keep the pie from being too achingly sweet;