Are you a Thanksgiving Traditionalist or a Thanksgiving Adventurer? I’m somewhere in the middle. I love the traditional Thanksgiving spread with its turkey and cranberry sauce and yams and pumpkin pie. Then again, I also love to try new recipes and some foods are only served on Thanksgiving Day, so if I am going to try them, I have to be willing to take a few risks. Pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving is no big surprise, but the layer of cheesecake in the middle takes this from a traditional pie to a delicious adventure!

The best part of this pie is that you can make it the day before and chill it overnight. That means there is one less thing for you to think about on the Big Day! Hooray!

Continue reading: pumpkin cheesecake pie

October slipped away so quickly that I completely forgot to share this pie with you! Oops! Here’s the Pie of the Month for November October!

I found this recipe in Nick Malgieri’s Modern Baker book but Nick got the recipe from Maida Heatter. You know recipes are great when they’ve come through TWO famous bakers before they get to your kitchen! My dad ate a slice two days after I baked it and declared the pie a masterpiece. I can’t imagine what he would have said if he had tasted it warm from the oven!

I only made a few modifications to this recipe. First, I added some cornstarch to the apple mixture because I like a thicker filling. I also reduced the sugar, and when making it again I’d reduce it even more. I really like the apple flavors to pop in my pies, and besides…. there’s plenty of sugar in the vanilla ice cream I load on top! I also like my apple pie to have crunchy apples, but I may stand alone in that camp, so while I’d cook the apples less in the future, I won’t include that change in this recipe because I’m sure some of you think I’m strange.

By the way, this pie does use 5 pounds of apples. Five pounds of apples takes a heck of a long time to peel unless you have a peeler and corer. If you do, then you’re in luck because you’ll save yourself an hour of peeling and slicing. Otherwise, get peeling! You’ve got a lot to do!

Also, note that this recipe calls for two kinds of apples. You want the Granny Smiths because they retain their shape and provide a bit of tartness. You want the Golden Delicious (or a similarly softer apple) because they will break down to form a thick, apply sauce. (Apply is a word by the way. I had no idea until I typed it and auto-correct didn’t yell at me to fix it. Who’da thought? Words with Friends, here I come!!!)

Enough chit chat. Let’s bake!

First, don’t you dare turn your nose up at this pie yet. You haven’t even tried it.

Second, I did try it. It’s good. And it doesn’t taste like jalapeños or jelly.

Third, I made this pie way back in August (remember that part, where it was summer and all?!) and then September ran away with me and tomorrow is the first day of October so September’s pie of the month almost turned into October’s pie!

Continue reading: pie of the month: pear and jalapeño jelly pie

Labor Day is almost here and many fellow bloggers are insinuating that maybe this means fall is here. This simply cannot be. I have not gorged on enough peaches, tomatoes, and strawberries to say adios to summer and give fall the hearty welcome it deserves. Fortunately, I live in California where the produce season extends longer than it does in many other areas of the country. I’ll be whipping up as many summer-fruit-filled treats as I can in the next few weeks so that when fall does officially arrive in my town, I’m ready to embrace it with open arms.

This pie tastes delicious and works well with early and late summer peaches. The idea of adding a hint of rosemary struck me as I was slicing the peaches. If you’re serving this to children, you may want to omit the rosemary. Most adults will appreciate the subtle savory flavor that it adds. A healthy scoop of homemade ice cream makes this a wonderful summer dessert to share with your friends and family.

lattice-top fresh peach pie with hints of rosemary
from America’s Test Kitchen

1 double crust pie dough, refrigerated
6-7 medium peaches (ripe, about 6 cups)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch table salt
3-4 tbsp minute tapioca (depending on how juicy your peaches are)
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sugar

Set a large pot of water to boil.

Prepare the pie dough if you have not already done so. After it sits in the fridge for at least 45 minutes, divide into two pieces and roll one piece into a 13-inch circle and transfer to a deep dish 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate both the pie plate and the other half of the dough.

Preheat oven to 425.

Fill a large bowl with ice and cover with cold water. Set aside.

Use a sharp knife to mark an small “x” in the bottom of each peach. Drop two or three at a time into the boiling water. After 30 seconds, remove to the ice water and repeat with the remaining peaches. After peaches are chilled, remove skins and slice into 1/2-inch slices.

Combine peach slices, sugar, rosemary, spices, and tapioca in a bowl. Pour into refrigerated pie dough. Set aside.

Roll out second half of the pie dough. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut it into 3/4-inch strips. Follow these instructions to make a lattice top pie.

Brush milk over the pie crust and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25 minutes at 425 and then rotate the pie from front to back. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 and bake for another 25-30 minutes, until pie crust is browned and the juices bubble thickly around the edges of the pie.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let sit for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

You’ve heard about the Pie of the Month Club, right? Well, it’s August, so that means…. MORE PIE!

This pie is *supposed* to have just apricots and mangoes in it but, unbeknownst to me, my mangoes were rotting at the back of the fridge before I could figure out a fun way to use them. Soooooo… my experience of this pie is actually an apricot-mango-strawberry combination and it was indeed delicious. I was unsure about this pie because I don’t like mangoes (I know, I know… we’ve been over this before) and I don’t adore coconut. Because of these two ingredients, the pie was billed as a tropical dessert, and I had visions of mangoes and coconut overwhelming the entire dish. That is not the case at all. I could barely taste the coconut. It just added a slightly nutty sweetness. This pie is perfect served with a scoop of delicious homemade vanilla ice cream.

My friend Courtnie jokingly called this “piebler” the night that we ate it together. She’s right! It really is a cobbler with a pie crust. Makes me wonder if I should just omit the pie crust altogether? Hmmm….

apricot mango pie

from Pie, by Ken Haedrich

1 single-crust pie dough

for the filling

• 4 cups pitted and sliced apricots, unpeeled
• 2 cups mango chunks
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of sugar, divided
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

for the topping

•  2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces

If you haven’t already, prepare pie dough and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

On a sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Inver the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Combine the apricots, mango, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the lemon juice, and the zest in a large bowl. Toss well, then set aside for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Meanwhile combine the remaining one tablespoon of sugar and cornstarch and mix into the fruit. Pour into the chilled pie crust and flatten gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the pie uncovered for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the flour, sugar, coconut and salt in a food processor, pulsing to mix. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Empty the crumbs into a large bowl and rub gently between your fingers to make buttery, gravelly crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375F. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie and spread them evenly over the surface with your hands. Press down gently to compact them. Return the pie to the oven, placing it so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills. Continue to bake until the top is golden brown and juices bubble thickly at the edge, about 30 minutes. If necessary, cover with loosely tented aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent the pie from browning too much.

Remove the pie from the oven and transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

cheesecake pie with cherry topping
from Pie, by Ken Haedrich

pie crust:

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
big pinch salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

cheesecake filling:

9 oz cream cheese1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

cherry topping:

3 cups individually frozen pitted sweet cherries (not packed in syrup) – or use fresh cherries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

whipped cream for garnish

To make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9 1/2-inch deep dish pie pan. Combine the nuts, brown sugar, and flour in a food processor and process in a number of long bursts until the nuts are very finely chopped. Dump the mixture into a large bowl. Run your fingers through them, breaking up any bigger pieces the machine may have missed. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and incorporate well. Mix first with a fork, then with your hands, and rub everything together thoroughly to form evenly dampened crumbs. Spread the crumbs evenly and loosely in the pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes. Place on the center oven rack and bake for 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before filling. Leave the oven set at 350.

In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer, gradually beating in the sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until evenly blended. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract and blend. Carefully pour the filling into the cooled pie shell.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until the center of the filling is set, 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.

About an hour before serving, make the cherry topping. Combine the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium size nonreactive pan. Cover and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially uncover, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. While the cherries simmer, blend the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, then stir the mixture into the cherries. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.

Spoon the cooled cherries evenly over the chilled filling. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If desire, pipe some whipped cream decoratively around the edge of the pie, using any remaining whipped cream for garnish. Slice and serve.

cherry custard pie
from the book Pie, by Ken Haedrich
1 single pie crust
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
large pinch salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups pitted cherries

Partially pre-bake your pie crust following these instructions.

Lower the oven temperature to 350F. While your pie crust is cooling, combine eggs, yolk, salt, and sugar in a mixer and whip together until airy. Add half-and-half, whipping cream, and vanilla and mix until blended. Pour over pie crust and drop in cherries in an even layer.

Bake pie at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, turning the pie 180 degrees after 20 minutes. If the top is browning too much, loosely tent the pie with foil for the last 5 minutes of baking. The pie is fully cooked when the custard in the middle jiggles only slightly when the pie is gently rocked. If the custard moves in waves, it is not cooked.

Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour and then transfer to fridge and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

pre-baking pie crust
from PIE, by Ken Haedrich

you will need:

1 single crust pie crust
pie plate
2 16-inch strips of aluminum foil
pie weights or dried beans
1 egg white, optional

Refrigerate your dough for 45 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven to 400.

Roll pie crust into a 13-inch circle and place in a 9-inch pie plate, carefully tucking the pastry into the corners of the pie plate. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Carefully lay aluminum foil across the pie crust and gently press the foil into the corners of the pie. Let the edges of the foil flare like wings over the edge of the pie crust. Fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans. (I keep a reusable foil packet of dried beans in my pantry for future uses!) Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the pie weights and foil and lower the temperature to 375F. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust multiple times. Bake the pie crust for 10-12 more minutes for a partially-baked crust or 15-17 more minutes for a full baked crust.

After the crust comes out of the oven, you can cover it with egg white to help seal the crust and keep it crisp.

Serve this pie with ice cream as the pie is slightly tart (in a good way) and the ice cream is the perfect balance for that.

And please note that the tapioca balls that you use should be instant tapioca balls. I found some unlabeled tapioca in my spice rack and they were not instant and, well, let’s just say that there were rocks in my pie. Learn from me and just buy the instant kind.

strawberry rhubarb crumb pie
from Pie, by Ken Haedrich

1 recipe single pie crust

filling
3 cups fresh rhubarb stalks, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon
4 cups hulled and halved (quartered if large) fresh strawberries
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
cornmeal crumb topping
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about1 hour.

On a sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9 1/2-inch deep pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the rhubarb, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a large bowl. Toss well to mix and set aside for 10 minutes.

Add the strawberries and tapioca to the bowl and toss well. Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with your hands. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Empty the crumbs into a medium-size bowl and rub between your fingers to make large, buttery crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375.

Carefully dump the crumbs in the middle of the pie, then spreadthem evenly over the surface with your hands. Tamp them down gently.

Return the pie to the oven, placing it so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills. Continue to bake until the juices bubble thickly around the edge, 30-40 minutes. If necessary, cover loosely with tented aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes to prevent the top from getting too dark.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serving suggestion: Serve with ice cream.

lemon meringue pie

1 recipe single crust pie pastry, refrigerated (you can use half of this recipe)

filling

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
4 large egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

meringue

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
big pinch of salt
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate it until firm enough to roll, about one hour.

On a lightly floured sheet of wax paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9 1/2-inch deep dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is just slightly higher than the rim. Place in freezer for 15 minutes, then fully prebake and let cool.

Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size saucepan, preferably nonstick, whisking to mix. Add the water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the egg yolks, whisking the mixture well. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking non-stop, until the mixture comes to a boil, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook, whisking nonstop, for about 1 1/2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, one piece at a time. Immediately pour the filling into the cooled pie shell, jiggling the pan to settle it. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling, taking care not to leave any gaps or air pockets to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 1 day if you’re not adding the meringue right away.

Just before serving, preheat the broiler and make the meringue. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the whites are very thick and glossy. Add the vanilla and beat briefly. Mound the meringue over the filling, spreading it so it is domed in the center and touching the crust all around the edge.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and briefly brown the meringue under the broiler. It will just take a very short time, so don’t walk away from the oven.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and serve right away. Or cover with loosely tented aluminum foil, making sure the meringue doesn’t come in contact with the foil, and refrigerate until ready to serve.