Several years ago I passed on the job of preparing Thanksgiving desserts (meaning pie) to my daughter and her sons. She told me that this year they are making a traditional pumpkin pie, sour cream apple pie, and my younger grandson is making some kind of chocolate pie (chocolate cream?)
When my mother was with us for Thanksgiving, we had to have jello. Her reasoning was that everyone was too full after dinner to have pie, but there was enough room for jello. She prepared it in some really pretty amber-colored sherbet glasses, and topped them with whipped cream. I’m afraid that the jello has gone by the wayside in my house!
Here are a couple of pie recipes – one new one that I haven’t tried, and one that I used to make all of the time. The one I haven’t tried is a pumpkin chiffon pie. I like pumpkin, and this one is a bit different. For one thing, it has a graham cracker crust. The recipe is from Bon Appetit.
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Ingredients
Crust
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12 graham crackers
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2 Tbsp. sugar
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¼ tsp. kosher salt
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6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
Filling and Assembly
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1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2½ tsp.)
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1 tsp. ground cinnamon
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¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
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¾ (scant) cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
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¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
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3 large egg yolks
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¾ cup whole milk
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1¼ cups unsweetened pumpkin purée (from one 15-oz. can)
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3 large egg whites
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¾ cup heavy cream
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¼ cup sour cream
Recipe Preparation
Crust
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Preheat oven to 325°. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until broken down into fine crumbs (you should have about 2 cups). Set aside 2 Tbsp. graham cracker crumbs for serving. Add sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
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Transfer to a 9½”-diameter deep pie dish. Using a measuring cup, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake crust until fragrant and edges just start to take on color, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Filling and Assembly
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Stir gelatin, cinnamon, nutmeg, a scant ½ cup sugar, and ½ tsp. salt in a small saucepan. Whisk egg yolks and milk in a small bowl to combine, then whisk into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (but do not let it boil), about 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin purée and remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and chill until cool, about 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. With the motor running, gradually add a scant ¼ cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 5–7 minutes.
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Mix one-third of egg white mixture into chilled pumpkin mixture until smooth. Gently fold remaining egg white mixture into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions until incorporated, but don’t overmix.
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Pour filling into graham cracker crust; smooth top. Cover and chill overnight.
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Vigorously whisk cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in sour cream and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. salt just to combine. Using a large spoon, dollop a generous amount of whipped cream in the center of pie. Sprinkle with reserved graham cracker crumbs. Slice and serve with any remaining whipped cream alongside.
This recipe is one I have made for years. I first tasted it at a restaurant where my boss and some of our employees would go for lunch for a special occasion, or when we were entertaining customers. The restaurant was called The Farm House, and they had the BEST homemade food, especially desserts! Sadly, they went out of business some years ago.
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Ingredients
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1⁄2 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced or finely chopped
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crustCrumb Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1⁄4 cup butter
1⁄3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamonPreparation
Beat sour cream and egg together.
Add flour, sugar, salt and vanilla.
Mix until smooth.
Stir in apples.Pour into the pie shell, and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
Mix the crumb topping ingredients until crumbly.
Remove pie from oven and spread with crumb topping.Bake 20 more minutes.
In case you missed it, here is a link to our Thanksgiving recipe thread:Thanksgiving planning and sharing !!
What desserts will you be serving on Thanksgiving Day this year?
Stella's Place 
My DIL is making the dinner, so I don’t have to do anything but help.
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I am sure going to try that sour cream apple pie. Looks so good!
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THis is Tom a typical dessert recipe, more of a cookie, but would go over well with my crowd. I’ve been meaning to make this, maybe this year.
https://sugarspunrun.com/millionaires-shortbread/
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That stuff is the bomb! I had a friend in Scotland that gave me my first try and it is so good!
Any bakery in Scotland that is worth it’s bread has a recipe for Millionaire’s Shortbread!
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Reblogged this on The Last Refuge and commented:
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. Stella has a post on desserts up and I’m looking forward to finding some new favorites. Help us out and don’t forget to share them over there for her people too.
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Pingback: What desserts are you serving this Thanksgiving day? | The Last Refuge
Pumpkin pie (Libby’s recipe), Candy Apple pie (with home-made caramel topping from Kansas church lady cookbook), and chocolate mousse pie. My fav is the Candy Apple pie.
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I’d love to see that recipe!
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It’s pretty much a straight-up two crust apple pie with some magic on top.
While baking, combine 1/4 c butter, 1/2 c packed brown sugar and 2 Tbls of heavy cream in small sauce pan and heat, stirring constantly until smooth. When pie is done, pour caramel on top, sprinkle 1/2 c chopped pecans and return to oven top rack. Broil 3-4 minutes or until bubbly. Hold the pecans if you like.
The buttery caramel on this might be the best thing ever!
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Thanks, sounds so delicious.
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Here’s another one that’s a bit unusual. It’s good and not too sweet.
Carrot Almond Tart
This carrot tart uses an almond cream (crème frangipane), and combines it with orange juice and grated carrots. It is subtle in taste.
Ingredients
1 pie crust
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cups flour
1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
zest and juice of 1 orange
powdered sugar for garnish
Directions
1. Spread your crust on a lightly floured work area; roll out into a circle butter the pie pan (10” tart pan or a deep-dish pie pan) and flour it and place the crust on it. Press lightly on crust in the middle and sides. Prick crust with fork, cover with wrap and keep in fridge 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Make almond cream: In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, almond flour, and flour; beat until smooth. Add the whipping cream, grated carrots, cinnamon, orange juice and zest, mix gently and pour into the crust. Smooth cream with a spoon.
4. Bake for 45 minutes; the crust should be deep golden and the almond cream puffed up. Cool, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
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Pumpkin pie, cranberry walnut pie, and pecan pie (for which we take a basic recipe, triple the pecans, and minimize the filling cuz it’s usually too sweet anyway)
I would also like to hear how y’all have perfected your dinner plate; I will start by sharing mine – this is all that ends up on my plate: turkey, cranberry sauce, squash (butternut, buttercup, and/or acorn), and brussell sprouts (boiled like my Mom did!) – anything else simply takes room away from those and from the pies!
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Take a look at the Thanksgiving thread linked at the end of this post – I share what my Thanksgiving will look like! Welcome!
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I’m just the opposite. I will have at least a bite or two of many things. Our family is huge so we have many cooks bringing their specialties which include the typical ham and turkey, dressing, several kinds of potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, mixed vegetables, squash casserole (we will fight over that), macaroni, cole slaw, deviled eggs, cranberry sauces, bread, and too many desserts to even remember.
Favorites among the desserts are chess bars, brown sugar pies with whipped cream, derby pie and pumpkin cake.
Some of the dishes we get only at Thanksgiving and from cooks who are outstanding. I’m trying it all, but it is so much you just have to eat a bite or two.
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Not these.
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Bet they are good though.
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I’m not a sauerkraut fan, my friend found the recipe in her book and had to show it to me.
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Since it is drained, rinsed, and chopped, it would be like adding shredded carrot to a recipe. Adds moisture.
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And a tad of acid for the sweetness. Maybe. I been watching cooking shows…..
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https://tasty.co/recipe/mississippi-mud-pie
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I used to work with a woman who brought MS mud pie to every party. Never got tired of it.
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Do try and make your own pumpkin purée…just cut a butternut pumpkin into slices, lightly (!) sprinkle with demerara sugar, maybe a few drops of grade A maple syrup, ans bake at 140C for an hour, then turn it right up til the maillard reaction sets in.
Mash with a fork, without the skin, of course. Add a little extra virgin pumpkin seed oil, for extra oompah. Stir until you like it. You may like a little salt, black Himalayan is best. Nutmeg, cinammon, allspice, even some clove.
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Wooh! Got 4 of those squash in the pantry, sounds great.
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It’s just the two of us this year, so I’m making a pecan pie and calling it a day!
I’ll be baking a birthday cake for DH tomorrow and he’s not real big on sweets anyway, so one cake and one pie will do him for a year.
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Boy howdy, if one cake and one pie would do me for a year I’d be a lot skinnier and probably a lot happier too. I hate my sugar habit and I’m working on it. Somewhat inconsistently and without true enthusiasm. 😀
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I can skip sugar if I have crispy, salty snacks. Pass the Chex mix again…
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My Grandma’s punkin’ pie recipe: Take 1 can of Libby’s pumpkin – double all the other ingredients and cook as directed in two pie shells. If it gets a little black on top while baking, mores the better – it’s then declared “ugly” and you win Thanksgiving.
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LOL
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Exactly how I made it all my growing up years. Czar bought a pecan pie yesterday so I don’t have to cook dessert. I will pass on to all ya’all my EASY chocolate truffle pie again, for those who are new, or forgot.
Pour 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips into the blender. Scald 12 oz heavy cream. Begin pouring the hot cream into the blender as you turn it on to grind, then turn up the speed as the chocolate melts and you finish the cream pour. Turn off and scrape down the sides. Add 1 tsp vanilla and turn on again for a few seconds. Pour into a prepared graham cracker crust. Refrigerate till set. Scrape out the blender cup directly into your mouth, do not waste a drop. Cut into very slim pieces because it is VERY rich. Put some whipped cream on if you like. Can be made with any flavor chip, or a mixture, or layer different flavors.
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