After three nights of tossing and turning about it, it’s time to get this off my chest. Clearly I’m taking this whole pie thing a bit too seriously. I mean, who takes the failure of a crust to heart? But I’m getting ahead of myself. On Wednesday, I told you about the Cran-Raspberry Pie and the Chocolate Pumpkin Triple Layer Pie I prepared for Thanksgiving dinner. They both looked fantastic. And when we ate them, the fillings tasted very good; the crust did not.
I don’t know what happened, and believe me, I’ve gone over it in my mind a thousand times (see tossing and turning above). The crust, particularly on the berry pie was dense and unpleasant. The crust on the pumpkin was just not flaky enough.
Gah.
Of course this doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel. Of course I’ll try again. But next time? I’m not writing about the darn thing until I’ve had a bite myself.
Every year that I was growing up in Springfield, Illinois, we would begin Thankgiving day with “the lawyers’ walk.” The Illinois Bar Association hosted a walk in the woods for the member lawyers and their families, followed by a cheery fire in a shelter with hot chocolate, coffee and, my favorite part of all, doughnuts. I’m not sure which part I liked more, the walk itself or the treats afterward, but those walks are some of my favorite Thanksgiving memories. It was a chance for my dad to reconnect with colleagues and a chance for me to catch up with the colleagues’ kids, many of whom were also classmates (hello Joe and Andy Cadigan, wherever you are!).
I miss those walks, and that part of the tradition of this day.
What Thanksgiving traditions do you remember, that are no longer part of your Thanksgiving?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Still trying to figure out what to make for dinner? Check out Thanksgiving Favorites for recipes and ideas.
OK, I’ll admit it; now I’m just showing off. This pie is not for the feint of heart pie baker. It is complicated. It is risky. It takes several hours. But, oh my, what a pie!
Again, this pie is a first for me to make. I was attracted to the pairing of chocolate and pumpkin and was seeking a non-traditional version of a Thanksgiving pie. I think Mistie would agree with me that chocolate goes with pumpkin as well as it goes with well, just about anything.
I elected to make this pie with a super flaky half shortening, half butter crust. I think flaky is the way to go with pumpkin, and with chocolate. I thought about this too late in the pie-baking process and so did not take photos to show the step-by-step, so you’re just going to have to trust me until we cut into this baby.
The bottom layer of the pie is a chocolate and pumpkin mixture. The second layer is a pumpkin/cheesecake filling. And the glorious top layer is a sweet sour cream swirl. The cookbook I used, Pie by Ken Haedrich (one of my favorites and one-third of the inspiration for my pie blogging craze) noted that one of the most spectacular things about this pie is its profile when it is sliced and on a plate. We won’t be serving this pie until tomorrow night, so I’ll come back and post that profile shot once I have it.
What kind of pie are you baking (or eating) for Thanksgiving?
My fellow pie-enthusiasts have been asking today — what kind of pies are you making for Thanksgiving?
Drumroll, please.
I am making two (even though I’m only supposed to make one). The first pie is a Cran-Raspberry pie. I have never made this recipe and at this writing, have not taste-tested it so BE WARNED. I liked the idea of the pie and think that cranberries and raspberries go very well together, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.
I started early in the morning, making my crusts. For this fruit pie, as with all fruit pies I make, I chose to make an all-butter crust.
I make my crusts by hand — without food processor, blender, etc. — and to start, I slice the butter into small pieces before I rub them into the flour. I like to make a big mess, too, as this photo depicts.
The fruit is coated in sugar, dry tapioca powder and almond extract.
The result is berries that look like jewels. If nothing else, this pie is going to LOOK good.
I just had to snap this shot before I added the lattice top. Now that’s some gorgeous fruit.
And . . . ta da! Here’s the finished pie. Let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks. I’m planning to serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
For the recipe, head on over to Thanksgiving Favorites, my wiki for all things Thanksgiving.
Check back later to find out about my SECOND Thanksgiving pie.
