This year I will not be preparing our usual Thanksgiving Feast. Instead we are invited to friends and we are so looking forward to having someone else cook for us. My contribution to this very looked forward to feast is dessert. I am making the traditional Thanksgiving desserts: Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. The recipes are tried and true and pretty simple. I plan on having a day of pie making on Thanksgiving Eve. If you have nothing else to prepare then wait until Wednesday to make your desserts. If you are preparing the whole dinner including dessert you can make your pies a couple of days in advance, You can even make your pie crust several days in advance with no adverse results.
Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Apple Pie Made With Love
I like to add golden raisins and pecans to my Apple Pie but if you don’t want to just leave them out. The best type of dish to use to insure a cooked bottom crust is a glass or ceramic pie dish. Tin pie pans just don’t give you that cooked and crispy bottom crust that is so very appealing. Also, placing the pie dish on a pizza pan with holes helps cook the bottom of the pie to achieve the crispiness we love. Why place the pie on a pan when cooking is what you might ask? The reason is to catch any juices that will escape from the pie and to keep the juices off the bottom of your oven. Lining the pan with parchment won’t allow the juices to go through the pan if it has holes and the pie dish won’t stick to the pan. All of these suggestions come from the thousands of pies I have made over my many years of cooking and will help to make the pie an easy and enjoyable experience.
1 Recipe Pate Sucre
7-8 Large Granny Smith Apples (About 5 Pounds) Peeled, Cored and Sliced ¼” Thick
1 Cup Golden Raisins (Optional)
1 Cup Toasted Pecans (Optional)
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Corn Starch
1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice (DO NOT USE BOTTLED)
2 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter Cut into Small Pieces
1 Large Egg Beaten with 1 Tablespoon Cold Water
Coarse Sanding Sugar for Pie Top (Available at Williams-Sonoma)
Vanilla Ice Cream or Gelato
Preheat oven to 425°. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
In a large bowl combine the apples, raisins, pecans, sugar, flour, cornstarch, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Toss until well combined. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of pastry into a 11 or 12 inch circle approximately 1/8” thick. When rolling, add a little flour to the top of the pastry so the rolling pin won’t stick. To make an evenly round circle when rolling make a quarter turn with the pastry. In other words, give a few rolls over the pastry, lift the pastry off of the rolling surface and turn it to the right 90 degrees. Do that three times while rolling and you will have a perfect circle. Gently roll the pastry up on the rolling pin and lift over the top of a 9” deep-dish pie dish and roll out. Gently press into the pie dish. You should have about a 1” overhang.
Place the apple pie mixture into the pastry-lined dish evenly distributing the apples. This will allow more even cooking. Pour any juices that may be in the bottom of the bowl over the top of the apple mixture. Dot the apple mixture with the 2 tablespoons of cold butter pieces. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
Roll out the second disk of pastry in the same manner as the first. Place the rolled pastry over the apples. Seal the edges by trimming with a scissor. Press the edges decoratively with your thumb and forefinger.
With a sharp thin knife make a whole in the top of the pie to let out the steam while it cooks. You don’t want it to explode in the oven – and believe me, it will if you don’t vent the pie. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
Place the pie on a sheet pan with holes (such as a pizza pan) lined with parchment paper. Bake the pie for 15 minutes and turn down the oven temperature to 375°. Bake the pie for 1 hour more or until the top is nicely browned and the juices are bubbling. You will see some of the juice leek out of the pie on the side. To be sure the apples are cooked, insert a skewer into the vent at the top of the pie. There should be no resistance when the skewer goes through the apples.
If the pie is not cooked through and the crust is beginning to get too brown, loosely cover the pie with aluminum foil by making a tent. You do not want to crush the pie or cover the vent tightly.
Remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack and let the pie cool completely before serving. I like to serve this pie with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream or Gelato.
Before The Top Crust Is Put In Place
Apple Pie With Vanilla Gelato and Caramel Sauce
Pumpkin Pie
Anyone who knows me knows I am a purist when it comes to food. Only organic and fresh for me: Nothing frozen, canned or precooked. BUT once in a while I have to make the exception to my rule and Pumpkin Pie filling comes under the exception category. I’ve made Pumpkin Pie with fresh pumpkin, pumpkin I’ve hand picked, white pumpkin, you name it I’ve done it. The only pumpkin I like for Pumpkin Pie is the good old standard – Libby pumpkin puree. My mother used it and I am continuing the tradition. The pumpkin puree by Libby is consistent. I never have to second-guess the product. I guess you can say I am only 99¾% pure. DO NOT USE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING IN THE CAN. When you reach for the puree on the shelf don’t grab the wrong one.
Makes One 9” Deep Dish Pie
½ Recipe Paté Sucre, Enough to Line Bottom of Pie Dish
1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
¾ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
4 Large Eggs
1 29 Ounce Can Libby Pumpkin Puree
1½ Cups Evaporated Milk
½ Cup Half and Half
White Chocolate Whipped Cream To Garnish
Preheat oven to 350°.
On a lightly flour surface roll out the paté sucre to 1/8” thick. Transfer to a 9” Deep dish pie dish. Crimp the edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and partially blind bake the crust. Cool completely and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add the spice mixture and blend well. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until completely incorporated. In a slow and steady stream add the evaporated milk and the half and half. Mix until completely incorporated.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie shell. Bake for one hour. To check for doneness pierce the center of the pie with a very thin bladed knife. When the knife comes out clean the pie is done. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before refrigerating. Before covering the pie with plastic wrap, be sure to cool the pie in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pie’s surface. The pie should be made at least the day before serving.
Serve with White Chocolate Whipped Cream or top with Italian Meringue for a very dramatic presentation. Tastes good, too.
Sweet Potato Pecan Tart
I like to use a tart pan to make this scrumptious delight but if you don’t have one you can use a 9″ glass pie dish instead. You may need to adjust the baking time but not by much. Just keep your eye on it.
Makes One 10” Tart
½ Recipe Pate Sucre
For The Sweet Potato Filling
1 1/2 Cups Baked Sweet Potato Pulp, About 3 Sweet Potatoes
¼ Cup Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 Large Egg, Vigorously Beaten with a Fork
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon All-Spice
For The Pecan Topping
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
¾ Cup Dark Corn Syrup
1 Large Egg
1½ Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
¼ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Pecan Pieces
3 Cups Pecan Halves
Preheat Oven to 325°.
On a lightly flour surface roll out the paté sucre to 1/8” thick. Transfer to a 10” tart pan with removable bottom. Crimp the edges at least 1/2″ above the rim of the tart pan. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
For The Sweet Potato Filling: Place all of the sweet potato filling ingredients into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 3 or 5 minutes. Set aside.
For The Pecan Topping: In a clean bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine all of the topping ingredients except the pecans. Mix thoroughly on low speed until the syrup is opaque, about 1 minute. Remove 1/4 cup of the mixture and set aside. Stir in the 1 cup pecan pieces into the rest of the topping.
To Assemble: Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and spoon the sweet potato filling evenly into the pastry lined tart pan. Pour the pecan topping over the sweet potato filling. (Do not pour the syrupy topping all the way to the top of the crust. Leave a little room for expansion.) Toss the half pecans with the reserved 1/4 cup topping and gently place pecans in a concentric circle starting on the outer edge and working towards the center (see photo).
Place tart on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (preferably a pizza pan with holes) and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven to a cooling rack. Cool completely before removing the pan rim.
Serve plain or with white chocolate whipped cream.
Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. Eat lots of PIE.
Any questions email me at
camille@camillecooksforyou.com
Or you can ask any questions by leaving a comment on the blog.