It’s official; the nation has lost its collective mind over pumpkin spice. It may have Starbucks who created the craze when it introduced its seasonal pumpkin spice lattes as the heralding flavor of fall, but they wouldn’t have become popular if there wasn’t some demand. Now, however, a trip to your nearest store will reveal that the trend has gone far beyond coffee, and the typical muffins, breads, cookies, and pies. Today you can find pumpkin spice flavored mixed nuts, candies and caramel, popcorn, beers, and even dog treats, not to mention candles, body lotions, soaps, and facial masks capitalizing on the pumpkin trend.
Of course, fall does mean Thanksgiving and with Thanksgiving comes PIE! Of course for the purists, this generally includes pumpkin, pecan, and apple, but since we think the pumpkin spice bandwagon is much too full right now, we’re looking at everything BUT the pumpkin!
According to the American Pie Council (yes, there really is such a thing!), pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians, with the first pies being made by early Romans, who may have learned about it from the Greeks. But these weren’t exactly what we’d consider pie today; they were sometimes made using "reeds" which held the filling but weren’t eaten. The first pie recipe was published by the Romans, and it did have a rye crust which was filled with goat cheese and honey. In England, early “pyes” were mostly meat pies, and may have appeared as early as the 12th century. The crust was referred to as the “coffyn,” and often blanketed a dish using fowl, with the legs left hanging over the dish to serve as handles. Early American colonists baked pie in a similar fashion, in long narrow pans, calling them “coffins” and often the crust was simply used to hold the filling during baking, and was not eaten. During the Revolutionary War, the term “crust” instead of “coffyn” became widespread.
A nice, golden, flaky pie crust is essential for the perfect pie. Making that crust from scratch is a task that scares away many novice bakers. But there are some tips to ensure a no-fail pie crust every time. First, make sure your ingredients are very, very cold, especially the butter or shortening. You can also put your bowl of flour and your pastry cutter in the freezer for a few minutes to ensure that everything stays cold and the butter doesn’t melt or get overworked. Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar at the same time you add the ice water in your favorite pie crust recipe. This helps prevent gluten from forming. Then, let your dough rest for at least one hour before rolling it out. When you do roll it out, use flour liberally. Once it’s rolled to the appropriate diameter, take a pastry brush and brush off any and all excess on each side. Most importantly, RELAX! Enjoy yourself in the kitchen and tweak your recipes and technique as needed. That’s part of the fun of cooking!
In the tradition of those first “pyes,” you might consider making a turkey pot pie with your Thanksgiving leftovers. Here’s an excellent recipe from The Pioneer Woman:
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1 pie crust
½ stick butter
½ c. finely diced onion
½ c. finely diced carrot
½ c. finely diced celery
2 c. leftover turkey, light and dark, diced or shredded (or both!)
¼ c. flour
2 to 3 c. low-sodium chicken or turkey broth (or more, if needed)
splash of white wine
¾ c. heavy cream
Fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 °. Melt butter in skillet or Dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until translucent (a couple of minutes). Add turkey and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in broth, stirring constantly. Splash in wine. Pour in cream. Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not underseason), and fresh or dried thyme to taste. Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan. Roll out crush so that it’s about 1” larger than the pan you are using. Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until very golden and bubbly and the crust is done. Allow to cool for a little bit before serving with a large spoon.
Fruit pies and tarts didn’t come along until around the 1500s. Lore has it that Queen Elizabeth I was credited with baking the first cherry pie. We have a recipe for that all-American favorite that’s excellent using either fresh or frozen cherries. And speaking of cherries, it was Martha Washington who shared in a mid-1700s cookbook this recipe for a classic Southern pie—essentially a “cheese”-less cheesecake.
Chess Pie
Ingredients:
Single pastry crust, shaped into a pie plate and chilled
4 eggs, room temperature
2 ½ oz. (about 5 Tbsp.) whole milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
14 oz. (about 2 c.) granulated sugar
4 oz. (1 stick) melted butter, cooled
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. finely ground cornmeal
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
Preparation:
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 425°. Line chilled pie shell with foil or parchment and fill it with pie weights (dried beans work well). Bake on bottom rack of oven for 5 minutes, then lower temperature to 325° and bake for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the weights and liner and bake pie shell until it is light golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove the crust from oven and cool completely. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together for 30 seconds, until well combined. Add sugar slowly, whisking as you go. Add butter, salt, cornmeal, flour, and vinegar, and whisk until filling is smooth and there are no visible lumps. Pour filling into cooled shell and place on lower rack of oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until filling has set up but still quivers a bit and is slightly puffed at edges. Allow pie to cool completely. Either serve warm or cover and refrigerate for a chilled filling.
All-American Cherry Pie
Ingredients:
Pastry crust for 2 crust pie
4 c. fresh or frozen tart cherries
1 to 1 ½ c. granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 ½ Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Preparation:
Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch together. Pour mixture into hot cherries and mix well. Return the mixture to stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. If filling is too thick, add a little water, if too thin, add a little more cornstarch. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare your pie crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9” pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.
Blueberries always make for a juicy, sweet pie. Pick them during the summer and freeze them. They bake well either way!
Blueberry Dream Pie
Ingredients:
Pastry for 9” double-crust pie
For cheese filling:
4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
½ c. confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
For blueberry filling:
½ c. plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ c. cold water
6 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. minced fresh mint or 1 tsp. dried mint
1 large egg white, beaten
Preparation:
Line a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate with bottom crust. Trim pastry to ½ in. beyond edge of plate; flute edges. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on wire rack. Reduce heat to 375°. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk until blended. Spread into crust. In a large saucepan, combine ½ c. sugar, flour and cornstarch; stir in water until smooth. Stir in 2 c. berries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. Gently stir in the lemon juice, mint and remaining berries. Pour over cheese filling. Cut remaining pastry for top crust into decorative shapes (Leaves for Thanksgiving/fall; stars for Independence Day, etc. Have fun with it!) and arrange over filling, leaving center uncovered. Brush pastry with egg white; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover edges with foil during last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.
Blueberry Crunch Pie
Ingredients:
1 (9”) unbaked pie crust
¾ c. white sugar
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
5 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. rolled oats
½ c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp. butter
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9” pie plate. In large bowl, stir together sugar and flour. Mix in lemon zest and lemon juice. Gently stir in blueberries. Pour into crust. In medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon. Mix in butter using fork until crumbly. Spread crumb topping evenly over pie filling. Bake for 40 min. or until browned on top. Cool over a wire rack.
Go nuts! Whether you choose a timeless holiday favorite or an easy no-bake refrigerator pie, either of these nutty desserts are sure to please.
Old Fashioned Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
Pastry crust
¾ stick unsalted butter
1 ¼ c. packed light brown sugar
¾ c. light corn syrup
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. grated orange zest
¼ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
2 c. pecan halves (1/2 lb.)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° with a baking sheet on middle rack. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12” round and fit into a 9” pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a ½” overhang. Fold overhang under and lightly press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Lightly prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (or freeze 10 minutes). Meanwhile, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in corn syrup, vanilla, zest, and salt. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in corn syrup mixture. Put pecans in pie shell and pour corn syrup mixture evenly over them. Bake on hot baking sheet until filling is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients:
9” prepared graham cracker crust
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
½ c. creamy peanut butter
½ c. confectioners’ sugar
1 16 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
15 miniature peanut butter cups
Preparation:
Mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and peanut butter together until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham cracker crust. Place remaining whipped topping over the top of peanut butter mixture and garnish with peanut butter cups. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Diana Taliun
fresh cocoa isolated on white
Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients:
1 9” pie crust – pre-baked
1 2⁄3 c. water
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
5 Tbsp. cocoa
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Preparation:
Mix water and cornstarch and cocoa until smooth. Stir in condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook until thick in saucepan. Stir in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add vanilla. Cool slightly (stirring occasionally). Pour into baked pie shell. Top with whipped cream after chilling pie.
And if you MUST have pumpkin, change it up a little and make it a cheesecake. This recipe swirls in chocolate for a rich, decadent treat.
Spiced Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1-1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. plus 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
10 caramels (unwrapped)
2 Tbsp. water
1 c. whipped topping, thawed
Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°. Mix graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 min. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add pumpkin; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Measure 2 cups batter into separate bowl. Add chocolate and cayenne; mix well. Add pumpkin spice to remaining batter; mix well. Pour half the pumpkin batter into crust; cover with half the chocolate batter. Repeat layers; swirl gently with knife. Bake 1 hour 20 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours. Microwave caramels and water in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 sec. or until caramels are melted; stir until blended. Drizzle over cheesecake just before serving. Top with whipped topping.
No matter what you choose to bake this Thanksgiving, we at EIL wish you and your family a very happy—and delicious—holiday!
