Do you buy or bake your Thanksgiving desserts? I can only recall one time where we bought our pies for any holiday actually. I am not opposed to buying them I just have always made them. I was thinking just this morning; why are pies the dessert of choice associated with Thanksgiving?
I started reading a bit about it and it seems that in the 18th century Thanksgiving started being less of a church based holiday and moved to more of a family and food holiday. A professor of History from Babson College said that “Most of North America was colonized by the English, and that’s a pie culture,” The English love most anything in a crust. Proud to be a New Englander!
Another interesting thing I read was from The author E.B. White from NY as well as Robert Frost who by the way was born in CA like my husband and also moved to NH when he was a young said
To foreigners, a Yankee is an American. To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
To northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner. To easterners, a Yankee is an New Englander.
To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter. And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast. Well myself and our children are from NH and my husband is from CA but we all love pie for breakfast.
I have an apple pie I made about a month ago in the freezer ready to bake, I will be making two pumpkin pies soon; my husband likes his pumpkin pies thin which is why there are two. My mother-in-law makes a cheese pie aka no bake cheese cake; which my daughter says every year that Grandma is not invited unless she brings it. I am thinking of making a chocolate cream pie. We will have plenty of dessert for breakfast.
I have not shared how I make my pumpkin pie because I use the recipe on the back of the pumpkin can.
French Apple Tart
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced
- 1/2 cup ice water
Apples
- 4 granny smith apples
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced
- 1/2 cup apricot jelly
- 2 tablespoon rum or water
Instructions
- For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
- Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Rum and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
Apple Galette - rustic tart
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 11 tablespoon unsalted cold butter diced or grated
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoon milk
Fruit filling
- 5-7 granny smith apples peeled, cored and sliced
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a stand mixer add the flour, sugar and salt. Using the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients for a about 30 seconds. On low speed add the cold butter to the flour mixture until the flour is no longer white and it can hold together when you squeeze it together in your hand. Around 1-3 minutes. If there are any butter pieces larger than a pea squeeze them to break them up.
- In a small bowl mix the egg yolk and milk and then add them to the flour mixture. On low speed mix until the dough just comes together, about 20 seconds. The dough will look crumbly and dry. Dump the dough onto a clean lightly floured surface. Working it with the heel of your hand, push and smear it away from you, gather it back up and repeat until the dough come together and is pliable.
- Press it into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap; let it rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. The dough can last up to 4 days in the fridge or a couple of months in the freezer. Place it in the fridge overnight to defrost. Let the dough sit on the counter for 15 minutes before the next step. Preheat the oven to 350’F
- While the dough is resting prepare the fruit. Peel, core and slice the apples, add the sugar and cinnamon and some flour. Taste an apple and if it needs more sugar now is the time to add it. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 13-14 inch circle. It does have to be a circle It doesn’t have to be perfect, remember it is called a rustic tart.
- On a sheet pan covered with tin foil or a silpat mat. Place the round dough and add the apples to the center of the dough. If you want to make it pretty line up some of the apples that will be seen through the open part of the top. Fold the edges of the dough over some of the fruit to create a rim about 2 inches wide. Working your way around the dough pleating as you go.
- Make an egg wash by beating a whole egg in a small bowl with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with some of the egg wash. Sprinkle with whatever sugar you have on hand. I used sugar in the raw.
- Make an egg wash by beating a whole egg in a small bowl with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with some of the egg wash. Sprinkle with whatever sugar you have on hand. I used sugar in the raw
- Bake until the pleats of the dough are golden brown, about an hour. Once done transfer to a rack to cool. When cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board or plate and slice. Serve it warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients
Chocolate filling
- 1 pie crust
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 6 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Whipped cream
- 1 small carton whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Chocolate Pie
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk together
- Pour milk and egg yolks. Whisk together
- Stir over medium heat until the mixture just comes to boil and thickens 5+/- minutes. as soon as it starts to bubble and becomes thick similar to pudding; remove it from the heat. Add chocolate, vanilla and butter. Stir till combined.
- Pour the pudding into the prepared pie crust.
- Chill in the fridge uncovered for at least 4 hours.
- Spread the whipped cream over the top and serve.