However, there are a few nice things about celebrating Thanksgiving in early October with the Canadians. First, you can enjoy planning and prepping without the looming thought that as soon as it's over, it's time for the Christmas rush. There's a nice little breathing period where you can savour your leftovers in gluttonous peace while casually compiling Christmas lists, trying to decide which creative creature your little one should dress as while she goes scouting for candy, and periodically hitting the checkout button on your smart phone's web browser from your couch, pie fork in hand.
The other great thing is that I get to try new recipes and share my favorites in time for my American friends and family to actually put them to good use, instead of filing them away for next year! Since there were only three of us at our Thanksgiving table this year - one a pescetarian, one who thinks turkey is relatively dry and flavourless, and the third a 2-year-old, a large celebratory bird wasn't in the cards. Instead, my husband made a brined and roasted chicken, which he declared one of the best ever and which he and Lena heartily devoured. My menu planning resulted in maple glazed carrots (we are in Canada, after all) with crispy sage, pan roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash risotto and pecan crusted scallops, which my favorite chef prepared to perfection.
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| Holidays in my family always include a cheese plate and onion dip |
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| No keeping this girl from glazed carrots! |
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| Pecan crusted scallops over butternut squash risotto |
For the past 10 or so Thanksgivings I've made the world's best apple pie, which I can only take credit for having the foresight to rip out of an old Bon Appetite magazine while my parents were packing to move across the country. There is cheddar cheese in the crust, loads of fresh vanilla bean, and the apples stay fresh and slightly crisp. I don't change a thing in the original recipe but, because it varies slightly from the version you will now find online if you Google it, I feel like I have a secret. Everyone who has ever tasted it loves it, including my husband who hates cooked fruit.
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| Bon Appetite Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust, circa 1990-something |
However, since there would only be one pie this year, I thought I would aim to perfect the classic pumpkin pie. 12-hour poultry and perfectly cooked scallops - that's all Randall. But anything pumpkin is my domain. I'm the girl who orders everything pumpkin or pumpkin spiced that I can find, for as long as the season allows.
It has become our tradition to start every fall with a trip to Westham Island Herb Farm, which is an amazing place on a tiny agricultural island near the US/Canada border. They sell a ton of seasonal fruits and vegetables plus homemade jams and such, and have lots of animal friends to visit like cows, bunnies, donkeys, chickens, and Lena's favorite, pygmy goats. We sloshed through the pumpkin patch and picked a fresh beautiful white one to take home for decoration, because it was fun. Then we chose a sugar pumpkin from the farm stand to turn into pie.
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| Hi Cows! |
There are several theories online for roasting pumpkins: cut side up, cut side down, covered with foil, under temperatures varying from 325F to 400F, at times from an hour to an hour and a half. Most importantly, cut it open and scoop out all the seeds and strings! I cooked mine uncovered, cut side up because we guessed that would be the way it would get the most roasty flavor. When it was soft all the way through, I removed it from the oven, allowed it to cool, pulled the skin off, chopped it into large pieces, and pureed it in our Vitamix. Then I scooped the puree into a chinois and allowed the water to drain for a couple of hours. Since I was not making the pie immediately, I transferred the puree into a container and put in the refrigerator, then poured off the water that had collected on top when I pulled it out the next day.
I came across this "easy, all-butter flaky pie crust" recipe by Inspired Taste that sounded unlike anything I'd seen before, so I gave it a try. I'm so happy I did, and it will be my go-to pie crust from now on! I love the feeling of making dough by hand, and have to restrain myself when making pie crust. Even though I know it makes the butter melt too fast, it's oh-so-satisfying to squeeze it through your fingers! So I didn't even consider the suggestion of using a food processor and opted only for the pastry cutter. I really prefer a sweetened crust so it doesn't end up tasting like a biscuit, so I also opted for the added sugar.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl sugar
1 c cold unsalted butter
8 Tbl ice water
Set aside 1 cup of flour. Combine remaining 1 1/2 c flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Cut butter into 1/2" cubes and scatter over flour mixture. Turn mixture with rubber spatula until butter is fully coated with flour .
Cut butter into flour with pastry cutter to combine.
Add remaining cup of flour and use pastry cutter to evenly distribute the butter throughout the flour, creating a crumb-like texture.
Sprinkle ice water over the flour mixture and turn flour with rubber spatula until the dough comes together.
Turn out dough onto clean flat surface and work quickly into a ball, making sure all the flour is incorporated. Separate dough into two equal pieces and flatten into discs. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for one hour to 2 days.
This is enough dough for two pies or one double crust. If you are only making one single-crust pie, you can freeze the other half for emergency pie at a later date. However, if you aren't going to be diligent about sealing and freezing, and are going to find it a few weeks later in the back of your fridge growing mold like I did, for goodness sake cut the recipe in half! I'm still crying.
To make the filling, I referenced this recipe from Simply Recipes, called Suzanne's Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie. Obviously, I used fresh pumpkin puree but I'm sure it's also great with canned. I used a smaller 8 oz. can of condensed milk and supplemented it with 4 oz. of heavy cream. I really appreciate that she incorporates the entire arsenal of spices in her recipe. A lot of people leave out the cloves and most people don't think of cardamom at all, but I always use all the spices listed here, regardless of the recipe. However, I think it's the combination of heavy spice with lemon zest that really makes this recipe shine. It adds a freshness and sophistication that takes this classic to a new level.
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 cups pumpkin puree
8 oz condensed milk
4 oz heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425F. Beat eggs in a stand mixer or bowl. Mix in sugars, salt, spices and zest.
Continue adding pumpkin puree and gently stir in condensed milk and cream until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
(I am always happily surprised at how fast a pumpkin filling comes together!)
Take dough out of refrigerator and let sit for a few minutes. Roll it out on a floured surface until it is approximately 1/8" thick. If you are working on parchment paper, place a buttered pie plate upside down on top of the dough, then turn the whole stack over so that the plate is right-side up and the parchment is on top. Gently peel off the paper and press the dough into the plate. If you are working on a counter top, use a very flat spatula to gently peel the dough up from one side while turning it onto your opposite hand and transferring it onto the prepared plate. Press the dough into the bottom of the plate and piece together any tears. Fold the overhanging dough over or under itself to create a thicker crust edge on top of the pie plate, and pinch with your fingers to create an artful, rustic look.
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| A good step for eager little helpers! |
Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350F and bake for approximately 50 minutes more, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. I checked the pie after 45 minutes on 350 and it wasn't ready. I left it in for another 10 minutes and it came out fine, but really probably only needed 5-8 minutes more. Remember to keep an eye on your crust, and have a pie protector or foil ring ready for when it browns before the center is set, about half-way through.
Save some room to finish your Thanksgiving meal with a large slice topped with fresh whipped cream and fresh grated nutmeg!
And don't forget to share some with your favorite pie buddy!
I'll be celebrating American Thanksgiving through all of your photos (and hopefully a FaceTime call or two) this year, so please enjoy!
Shoot! I'm hungry.
