I haven’t made pie very many times in my life. But today we had some of Gus’s students over for a mini-holiday party — putting up the Xmas tree — so I thought I’d go out on a limb and whip up a pie. I was intrigued by the Brown Butter Pecan Pie from “I Made That” because I love pecan pie — and I love brown butter even more.

It was my first attempt at following Ruhlman’s Ratio: 3-2-1 flour-fat-liquid crust recipe. It was easy to follow, and the dough came out well, even if it doesn’t look that attractive in the photo. And due to failure to butter the pie pan, most of the crust stubbornly refused to be served with the rest of the pie. I have the other half of the dough left to make something else tomorrow or Tuesday and give it another shot.

As for the filling — the filling was a huge hit. Easy to make, wonderful caramel pecan flavor, rich, sticky and decadent. Definitely will make it again, in fact I might consider this to be a trial run for Christmas.

Next time: (1) I’ll remember to butter the pie pan; (2) I’ll probably bake the crust a little less than I did this time during the blank-baking phase. The filled pie could probably have stood a little more time in the oven to hit the “cracked” phase, but the crust was already getting really dark. (3) Some bourbon in the whipped cream, I think, for that finishing touch.

(Rest of dinner: bison chili; roasted brussels sprouts; potato latkes and condiments)