Some favorite pie recipes for Thanksgiving

As promised, here are some favorite pie recipes for Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I hope to post a couple more.

CRUMB TOP APPLE PIE

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
Unbaked 9” pie shell
6 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
Lemon juice
Crumb topping:
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt
1/2 cup butter

Begin by mixing together the brown sugar and spices in a small bowl. In the pie shell, alternate layers of apples with the spice mixture. Sprinkle each layer with lemon juice before adding another layer. When all apples and spices are in pie shell, make the topping by mixing the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and dash of salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbs form. Top the pie with the crumb topping.
Bake the pie at 450º for 15 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350º and bake 30 minutes more. Serve warm with cheddar cheese or ice cream on the side.

This excellent pie comes from Jane & Michael Stern’s wonderful cookbook, Square Meals. I have made this pie so many times that its page in my handwritten cookbook is freckled with apple juice and spices.



PUMPKIN-DUTCH APPLE PIE

Apple Layer:
2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. flour
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell ( I use a 10-inch pie shell)
Toss apples with sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon. Place mixture in pie shell.
Pumpkin Layer:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tblsp. melted butter
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and beat well. Pour over apples in pie shell. Bake in preheated 375º oven for 30 minutes. While pie is baking, mix together ingredients for
Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup flour
5 Tblsp. sugar
3 Tblsp. softened butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Remove pie from oven and sprinkle with topping. Return pie to 375º oven and bake for 20 more minutes or until custard is set. Cool.

This wonderful pie combines the best of pumpkin and apple flavors!




MINCE APPLE CRANBERRY PIE

Pastry for 9-inch single crust pie
1/4 cup flour, divided use
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. butter
3 medium-tart apples, peeled, cored, cut in wedges
Mincemeat-Cranberry Filling:
1 9-ounce box condensed mincemeat
1 cup water
3 Tblsp. sugar
1 cup cranberries

Heat oven to 425º. Prepare 9-inch pie shell with high fluted edge. Sprinkle 2 Tblsp. flour over the crust. Combine remaining flour with sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter; set aside.

For filling, crumble mincemeat into small saucepan. Add water and sugar; stir to combine. Bring to boiling; boil 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; remove from heat. Spread filling in bottom of pie shell. Arrange apple wedges in concentric circles over filling. Sprinkle reserved flour-sugar mixture over apples. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe is from my friend Jean and is just excellent. It just captures the essence of what a Thanksgiving pie should taste like.





HARVEST PIE

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped peeled tart apple
1 Tblsp. butter
Pinch of salt
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
Meringue:
3 egg whites
6 Tblsp. brown sugar

In large saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Add cranberries, raisins, walnuts, and apple; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter and salt. Spoon into pie shell.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; gradually beat in sugar. Heap meringue over hot filling, spreading to seal to edge of pastry. Bake at 325º for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

This is a most delicious Thanksgiving pie!




At our family Thanksgiving meals with my husband’s family, traditional pie flavors go right out the window. My mother-in-law always makes some apple and some pumpkin pies, but others bring whatever they like, from chocolate to lemon meringue. Here are some of our favorites.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

2 packages cook-and-serve type chocolate pudding
4 cups milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 9-inch baked pie crust, cooled
1 to 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped with 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large saucepan, combine the pudding mixes and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cut the peanut butter into the confectioners sugar until small crumbs form. Set aside about 2 Tablespoons of the crumbs -- put them in a custard cup or something. (It will be awhile before you use them.) Sprinkle all the rest of the crumbs into the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the pudding over the crumbs. Refrigerate the pie until the pudding is set. It will be cold. Spread the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

In our family, we call this “Reese’s Pie” because it reminds us of a pie by that name which we used to eat at a Vermont truck stop. I’m not sure, but I think the whipped cream on their pie had some cocoa added. It was chocolate, anyway. If you want to try that, whip in 3 or 4 Tablespoons of baking cocoa along with the sugar and vanilla; add 2 more Tablespoons confectioners sugar too since the cocoa is not sweetened.



FANTASY PEANUT BUTTER PIE

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. milk
1 c. confectioners sugar
8 oz. cool whip
9-inch Oreo cookie crust

Blend the cream cheese and peanut butter with an electric beater. Add the milk gradually, then the sugar. Fold in the cool whip thoroughly and pile filling into the oreo crust. Freeze until firm. Store pie in freezer and serve directly from the freezer.

(To make your own oreo crust, use 1 1/2 c. oreo cookie crumbs -- about 17 cookies. Combine with 2 Tblsp. melted butter and press firmly into a 9” pie plate. You can use this unbaked or, if you prefer, bake for 10 min. at 350º and cool before filling it.)

This delicious pie is from Cook & Tell, my favorite cooking newsletter, published in Southport, Maine. Other than the cookie crust, this pie doesn’t call for anything you wouldn’t be likely to have on hand. It’s a quick, easy, but very impressive dessert.




RED, WHITE, AND BLUE BERRY PIE

9” baked pie crust
BERRY LAYER:
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 1/2 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. water
4 1/2 Tblsp. dry raspberry jello powder
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 pint fresh or frozen whole unsweetened raspberries
CREAM LAYER:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 c. confectioners sugar
4 oz. cool whip

For berry layers, combine sugar, cornstarch and water in medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve. Cook until thick and clear. Add jello powder; stir until dissolved. Divide mixture in half. Stir blueberries and lemon juice into half of the mixture; spread over bottom of pie shell. Refrigerate. Fold raspberries gently into remaining half of mixture; set aside. For cream layer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the cool whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over blueberry layer. Refrigerate until set. Carefully spread raspberry layer over cream layer. Chill at least 4 hours before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

This beautiful pie is very easy to make and is just delicious. It’s perfect for patriotic holidays or any other special summer occasion.




And finally, a favorite Thanksgiving dessert that isn’t a pie:

PUMPKIN LAYERED DESSERT

Crust:
1 cup flour
2 T. sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix together ingredients and pat into a 13x9-inch pan or dish. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

2nd Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
half of a 12-oz. tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

Beat cream cheese and sugar well. Fold in whipped topping and spread on cooled crust.

3rd Layer:
16-oz. can of pumpkin
2 small (3.5 oz. I think) pkgs. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup half & half cream (or use evaporated milk or even regular milk)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves

Beat these ingredients together and spread the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese layer. Chill for 1 hour.

4th Layer:
remaining 6 ounces of whipped topping (from the 12-oz. tub mentioned above)
Chopped walnuts

Spread the remaining whipped topping over the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This wonderful dessert has been a favorite at our Thanksgiving dinners for 10 years!