You can add more bourbon, an extra 2 T shouldn’t change the consistency to much. I’ve never tried bourbon flavoring, but it exists.
Seriously, if it doesn’t come out tasting exactly like an expert pecan pie, just rename it. “Pecan Marvel” or “Aunt Maisie’s Pecan Surprise.” This has saved us may times.
Here’s the maple syrup recipe that I think is the Cooks Illustrated version. I have made it and it is good. My H loves pecan pie so I try a different recipe every Thanksgiving and have a file of them. I’ve also made the Oatmeal one, but H is somewhat of a purist and prefers his pecan pie with only pecans 
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon molasses
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon Salt
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups toasted and chopped pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell, chilled in pie plate for 30 minutes
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat sugar, syrup, cream, and molasses in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Whisk butter and salt into syrup mixture until combined. Whisk in egg yolks until incorporated. (I temper the eggs alittle).
Scatter pecans in pie shell. Carefully pour filling over. Place pie in hot oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until filling is set and center jiggles slightly when pie is gently shaken, 45 to 60 minutes. Cool pie on rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate until set, about 3 hours and up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature after chilling.
I agree with the suggestion to ask the girlfriend for the recipe that her family uses. And then resist the temptation to improve it!
Edited to add: Or ask her to bring a pie. I’m sure she’ll want to bring something; asking her to bring the pie will surely reduce her anxiety over what to bring as a hostess gift.
My hints: chocolate pecan pie rules, lightly toast pecans before adding to recipe, parbake crust, use dark rum (2 T is enough), use salted butter for the crust, and let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before parbaking. Also, I use dark Karo syrup and pecan pieces (you can get more pecan goodness in that way, it’s easier to cut, and they’re cheaper!).
Friends from Kentucky sometimes bring Derby Pie. So good! Otherwise, just use the karo syrup recipe, which is rather the gold standard, even if there are improvements out there.
“Pecan Pie Advice Needed”
Yes, please!
I hope that you are all happy because I have put on 4 pounds just reading this thread. I love pecan pie but no one else in the family does, so alas, I don’t make it.
I had to laugh at your post. Never been much of a pecan pie lover, still aren’t, but made it every Thanksgiving until I decided to shake things up and baked my to-die-for chocolate pecan pie with home-made tangerine ice cream. I was obsessed with how good it was. My daughter and son were outraged. I RUINED it. I ruined Thankgiving.
Next year, it was back to regular pecan pie served with Hagen Dasz (yawn.)
They approved.
Tradition rules, I guess.
http://www.marthastewart.com/1154597/maple-nut-tart
This one is so good. Not cloying like some pecan pie. It calls for part pecan and part walnuts, but I have made it with all pecans. My husband who absolutely loves pecan pie, prefers this tart.
I haven’t made pecan pie for a few years, because one of my daughters liked it too much and couldn’t resist it!
For flavor ideas, if you use maple syrup, try using grade B or at least dark amber for a deeper and smokier flavor. The lighter ones are sweeter but also simpler tasting. Or try Steen’s cane syrup, if you can find it. It’s like a really light and delicious molasses.
I would use dark rum over bourbon. It’s so excellent to bake with. If you’re not sure about adding too much liquid, you can always make a little buttery rum sauce to have on the side (and drizzle over the ice cream?)
I would toast the pecans, maybe with salt and some spice if you like, and then chop them. I only like the big pecan pieces on top for decoration.
Why is maple syrup better than Karo? My DH loves pecan pie, and although is polite, he never raves about it. I can’t make my own crust, as crisco upsets his stomach, so I always just use the refrigerated kind.
I usually make a chocolate pecan also, as my DS likes that. I always use chopped pecans for that one and go easy on the chocolate.
The two best pieces of advice I can give you is to be careful not to over-toast the pecans, or the entire pie will taste burnt (even if it’s just one nut that went too far), and to make a few test pies before you serve one for the big day.
I also pre-bake the crust, and I cover the edge with tinfoil while I’m doing so. You basically just want the part that comes in contact with the filling not to be gooey.
Never ever use Crisco; it’s 100% trans fat. Bad stuff for your arteries. I agree with the suggestion of the Cook’s vodka recipe for the crust.
Apple pie is really my jam, but a good pecan pie is my H’s favorite.
Costco has a great pecan pie. Just sayin’…
I use the standard recipe but with twice as many nuts. I do think pecan pie is supposed to be sweet, just eat a small piece!
I agree with others, if it doesn’t taste like a traditional pie your guest may end up being disappointed.
^^^ I have to agree with this. It is a sweet pie and small pieces (maybe more frequently!) with some freshly whipped cream is the way to go. I do think that if you increase the amount of pecans the ratio of nuts to gooey sweet will be reduced.
Regarding the maple syrup - it’s MAPLE SYRUP - why not?!!!
Wow, thanks for all the ideas! A few responses:
@intparent, @patsmom BUY a pie? I’m clutching my pearls here. And my vast assortment of pie and tart tins. Never!
@katliamom, forget the pie…homemade tangerine ice cream!! Yum!!
I am actually going to be cooking dinner at their place, but I plan to make the pies ahead of time. Probably apple, pecan, and a small sugar-free pumpkin cheesecake so there’s something I can eat. Alas, AFAIK the GF’s only character flaw is that she doesn’t like blueberries.
Listening to your accumulated wisdom, I think I will concentrate on tuning it up, rather than outraging the tradition by including chocolate or other nuts, or something that would change the essential nature of the pie. I’m definitely going to lightly toast the pecans, and use more than is called for. I will partially bake the crust. I think I’ll go with adding some dark rum. (Pusser’s Navy Rum is the BEST flavor!) Debating using the recipe with caramel in the filling. (I’ve made hundreds of pounds of sea salt caramels for my business.) May opt for the King Arthur Flour filling.
ETA: Very interesting that pecan pie is such a holiday tradition for some. For us, the essential Thanksgiving pie is pumpkin. In my family, accompanied by several fruit pies, and sometimes mince (some of us LOVE mince pie). Pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving is traditional. I always make 3 kinds of pie, even if I’m having 5 people! I can’t recall pecan pie ever making an appearance on the table over the last 60 years.
@patsmom ^^^^ That’s a recipe I can get behind! Just like mother used to make… (my mom was pretty good at buying her baked goods.)
You might want to ask her (or have your son ask her) if she likes the flavor of rum in her pecan pie. Lots of people don’t like baked goods favored with rum – myself included. For me, if there were a dessert that I normally loved that was doctored up with rum I’d be very disappointed. (Then again, I’m not a fan of pecan pie, either).
My family loves pumpkin pie. I grew up with pecan pie but have given it up because of the sugar but man, do I miss it!
H and I went to a cooking school class this weekend at The Milk Street Kitchen in Boston. It is the new venture of Christopher Kimball (who left America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated). The class that H and I attended was about recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner. Kimball has a new recipe for pie crust. I decided to do a trial run at home today and my crust came out perfectly. Here is the recipe: http://recipes.177milkstreet.com/recipes/pie-dough