Secrets to the perfect pie for Thanksgiving? Favorites?

[LuvOrlando]

What are your favorite pies and desserts for the Thanksgiving table?

We love pecan pie and pumpkin pie, last year we made Sally's Baking Addiction Pumpkin Pie and it was so yum, she has her own spice blend recipe.

This year I'm thinking homemade pumpkin pie again and a pecan pie but am not 100% all in on the choices yet so I figured I'd see what other people serve. I can never get the crust quite right so hints are always welcome, at some point I'll get it right I hope.

 

[Meriweather]

Well, I don't eat crust anymore, so I just make pumpkin filling.
DS usually buys a Pecan Pie from Costco.
DD doesn't like those, so I might make a cheesecake for her

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm also not of fan of pie crusts. I like pecan pie, but I remove about 1/2 of the pecans before eating (really just like the filling part).

I can't make a decent pie crust, so I just buy a pie. Pumpkin, pecan, apple are all favorites in our house.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I make an apple pie, and if one son in particular is coming, I make a Maple Pecan pie As well. I don’t have a secret, my crusts are very variable, it seems to depend on humidity in the house. Nonetheless, my family always want my pies!

 

[princesscinderella]

I'm also not of fan of pie crusts. I like pecan pie, but I remove about 1/2 of the pecans before eating (really just like the filling part).

I can't make a decent pie crust, so I just buy a pie. Pumpkin, pecan, apple are all favorites in our house.

If you just like the filling of a pecan pie, look up a recipe for Canadian sugar pie. It's basically the same thing without the nuts.

 

[princesscinderella]

I make homemade pumpkin pie every year and cook down my pumpkins we buy for halloween decorations into a puree to use for both the pie and I make soup with it too. I'm not canned pumpkin puree fan.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If you just like the filling of a pecan pie, look up a recipe for Canadian sugar pie. It's basically the same thing without the nuts.

Ah, but there's the rub. I can't make a decent pie crust, so I don't MAKE pies myself.

 

[princesscinderella]

Ah, but there's the rub. I can't make a decent pie crust, so I don't MAKE pies myself.

The Pilsbury pie crusts are great just roll them out into a pie pan or buy a ready made crust in the freezer section.

 

[_19disnA]

We like Pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and basically use the recipe on the side of the can. Looked at Sally's recipe and seems to have way too much sugar, 3 eggs is also too much, also don't use cornstarch or milk/heavy cream. The volume her recipe makes will be way too much for the typical 9" frozen pie crust. I don't bother to make the pie crust and always buy the frozen ones at the store. Less work and tastes the same. I use 1 can pumpkin puree, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1T molasses, 2 eggs and 1T pumpkin pie spice. Mostly pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg/cloves. You can look around online for the ratios most commonly used, adjust to get the taste you prefer. Bake at 325 for about 1 hr. It is a baked custard, so baking at a high temp at first will make it puff up like a souffle and crack. Baking at one hr or so at a lower/constant temp eliminates the problem of cracking. Every oven cooks differently and even the particular rack position matters. I bake until the filling has set and risen a bit, using the recipe bake times as a guide and adjust from there.

Have tried buying fresh pie pumpkins at the grocery and found it was a LOT more work for a result that made no difference. (Halloween pumpkins tend to be too stringy and not recommended for making pumpkin pie. Pie pumpkins are a different type of pumpkin.) The flavor of pumpkin pie is from the added spices, so experiment to find what works for your taste.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I make apple pie (kids), pumpkin pie (husband) and French silk (me, although sometimes I just wait until Christmas for that).

My "secret" to pumpkin pie is to use fresh pumpkin (sugar pumpkins) and roast them myself. It gives it a great flavor.

My French silk is amazing, but not exactly for all audiences, as it includes raw egg.

I use a mixture of brown and white sugars for the apple pie, as the brown sugar makes it a bit caramelly.

 

[lovesmurfs]

The Pilsbury pie crusts are great just roll them out into a pie pan or buy a ready made crust in the freezer section.

Yes! For fruit pies, I do brush milk or cream over the top and sprinkle with sugar (and cinnamon, for apple pie).

 

[Christine]

I generally just make pumpkin pie. I do not make my own pie crust, but OH how I want to. Homemade pie crust, if you can do it, is a life-changer for me. I don't know how anyone can think they are the same as frozen or refrigerated. Those are fine (and believe me, I use them) but darn my MIL made a fabulous crust that just made the whole pie.

Anyway I just made a pumpkin pie yesterday (standard Libby's canned pumpkin pie recipe). I add a bit more spice because I like them "hearty" and I forgot how good those things are when made at home. I used a frozen pie crust from The Village Piemaker brand and that was pretty good. Still not homemade but better than probably the Pillsbury.

Speaking of pie brands. if you run across frozen pies by The Village Pie Maker, they are really good. The Strawberry Rhubarb is excellent.

 

[slo]

I make an awesome pumpkin bundt cake, but I'm not sure if I'm going to make it this year.
Now that my DH is Type 2, I feel so guilty making anything fun and sweet - it just seems so wrong to make something and then to tell him he can't eat it (he's never made me feel guilty - I bring that on myself).
I'll ask my DD20 if she wants the bundt cake this year, and if she wants it, then I'll make it for her, but if she doesn't (she loves it, but being an athlete she watches what she eats), then the bundt cake won't be made.

ETA....my inlaws bring an awful pumpkin pie from Costco every year. The thing is massive, and never fully done in the center. I would much rather have something smaller and made well, then something massive, at a good price point, and not done well. I will always take take quality over quantity in regards to something like this. I used to make my own pumpkin pie, but my inlaws are just so excited about this massive Costco pie, that I just let them bring it . I'm actually sounding kinda bitter about this pie. I'm just keeping it real folks

 

[NotUrsula]

What are your favorite pies and desserts for the Thanksgiving table?

We love pecan pie and pumpkin pie, last year we made Sally's Baking Addiction Pumpkin Pie and it was so yum, she has her own spice blend recipe.

This year I'm thinking homemade pumpkin pie again and a pecan pie but am not 100% all in on the choices yet so I figured I'd see what other people serve. I can never get the crust quite right so hints are always welcome, at some point I'll get it right I hope.

Standard baked pie is the one dessert I don't bake from scratch, and there are only a few that I like. If DH wants fruit-type pie, he buys it, usually from Sam's Club. (His mother wasn't much of a baker in general, but she was a pro at pie crust, and nothing I've ever managed can compare, so I leave this to the pros now that she's gone.) We do pumpkin-gingerbread instead of pumpkin pie.

I do love pecan pie, but I find that I actually prefer all-nut pecan bars that eliminate that pure-sugar layer in the middle, so I make those instead. That way I get my holiday pecan-treat fix without the worry of messing with the intricacies of pie crust chemistry!

I make my own fruitcake, however, because I don't like raisins. I like it very densely-packed with nuts and cherries, with just enough light batter to hold the candied fruit and nuts together.'

Come to think of it, this is going to be a rough holiday, treat-wise. Normally we really pile in on the nut items during the holiday season, but DH has developed kidney problems and has been told to limit nuts. Nutty treats will probably be too tempting for him to have around, darn it all.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Costco pumpkin pie

 

[dcassetta]

I make pumpkin and apple and make my own crust which I think is pretty good.

I also make Key lime pie with my grandmother's traditional 3 ingredient recipe, although as actual Key limes are hard to get, I do use bottled juice.

 

[Imzadi]

Well, I don't eat crust anymore, so I just make pumpkin filling.

I never eat the crusts of most pies. Pie filling only is just up my alley!

 

[Imzadi]

Costco pumpkin pie

Now, now, @Dan Murphy, the pie should at least be baked. So, Mrs. Smith's frozen pies count in my kitchen.

However, we will let you go with simply reheating the Costco pie.

 

[unrequited23]

My secret for a perfect holiday pie is ordering from a bakery, either Mama Jo's or MichealAngelo's.

The Costco pumpkin pie is not the best, but leagues beyond what I've been able to make on my own.

 

[nw6675]

I'm also not of fan of pie crusts. I like pecan pie, but I remove about 1/2 of the pecans before eating (really just like the filling part).

I'm just not sure how to handle this sacrilege.