It’s fitting that I finished up my year of pies on Thanksgiving, since it was for Thanksgiving 2011 that I made my first-ever solo pie. That one was apple, and I used the pre-made pie crust that you just unroll. I made apple pie again the following turkey day, and last year I made pumpkin pies. This year I opted to finish out my pie year in one go, making both pumpkin and sweet potato. Variety is the best part of the Thanksgiving table, right?
For about five minutes I toyed with the idea of roasting my own sugar pumpkins, but I’ve skimmed too many food articles noting how much more trouble that is than it’s worth. I opted for a can of Trader Joe’s organic pumpkin, which I’ve seen hailed as the absolute best. It’s worth noting that it was much lighter in color and had a slightly different texture than the brands I’ve used in the past. As for the pie recipe, I browsed Pinterest and found a brown sugar variation that called for sour cream and heavy cream instead of a canned dairy product. The end result was superb—lauded by my veteran taste testers and one that I’ll be happy to repeat (though I may lighten up slightly on the pumpkin pie spice).
Sweet potato pie, in my opinion, deserves more time in the spotlight. Pumpkin gets all the glory these days, but sweet potatoes are just as delicious. I was attracted to a recipe that featured a hazelnut crumble topping, and it was a perfect choice. Not only did it give a sure-fire way to tell the pies apart, but it gave a nice crunch amidst the sea of custard filling. The recipe called for bourbon, but I used scotch from my butterscotch pecan pie that kicked off this entire saga. How’s that for bringing things full circle?
I guess now that I’m done with the project, I’ll announce a few superlatives:
Easiest pie crust: Food Network’s food processor crust
My new go-to aka the easiest pie crust when you don’t feel like cleaning the food processor (which is always): King Arthur Flour’s
Easiest pie filling: 3-way tie: chess, lemon and pumpkin—simply can’t beat a mix and pour!
Most troublesome: apricot and cherry (why is there so much juice!?)
Surprise win: apple slab (panko bread crumbs FTW)
I’m definitely sad to see my pie project wrap up, but ultimately my goal has been accomplished—pie crust no longer scares me! Over the past year I’ve pinned quite a few recipes that I’d like to try that didn’t fit into my calendar, so I’m sure I’ll continue to bake pies of all different varieties. Practice makes perfect!
- Photos: Melissa Woodley
