Aaahhhhh. Thanksgiving pies. We have mince, pumpkin, cranberry-walnut and apple. There’s nothing quite like the old-fashioned goodness of a home made pie.
For those of you that asked, here is my pie crust recipe. It comes from The Joy of Cooking: All About Pies & Tarts and it’s never let me down.
Using a rubber spatula, thoroughly mix in a large bowl:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
Add:
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
Break the shortening into large chunks then add it to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, cut the fat into the dry ingredients. When you are through, some of the fat should remain in pea-sized pieces; the rest should be reduced to the consistency of coarse crumbs. The mixture should seem dry and powdery and not pasty or greasy.
Drizzle over the flour and fat mixture:
1/3 cup plus 1 T ice water
Using rubber spatula, cut with the blade side until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Press down on the dough with the side of the spatula. If the balls of dough stick together, you have added enough water; if they do not, drizzle over the top an additional 1 to 2 T of ice water.
Cut in the water, again using the blade of the spatula, then press with your hands until the dough coheres. The dough should look rough, not smooth. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a thick, flat disk, and wrap tightly in plastic.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and preferably for several hours, or for up to 2 days before rolling. The dough can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 6 months.
Simple, right? It’s a slightly different version than the pie crust my mom used to make. There’s a bit more flour and she didn’t put in the sugar and she didn’t chill hers before rolling it. But I’ve had great luck with this recipe and would highly recommend it. Besides, if it doesn’t turn out right, all you’ve lost is some flour and Crisco. Relax and start over.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
I’m thankful that you keep coming back to read what I’ve written.
I’m thankful for your comments and advice and jokes.
I’m thankful for the inspiration of bloggers and knitters and spinners everywhere.
Enjoy yourself this Thanksgiving, whatever you do and wherever you go.
Hi Carole, Dale, Luke & Hannah! Happy thanksgiving! Your pies look amazing (amazingly good!) I’m sure all will enjoy them! Have a great day & I will see you soon. Love, Debbie 🙂 Ps I think I have the knit stitch down…. Maybe??? Knitting a chenelle scarf… Deb
Yummy, pie. That’s what I love the most about Thanksgiving. Dessert.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, and I’m thankful for finding your blog and reading you everyday.
Oooh.. such pies! How I wish I could be a little bird lighting at your table and nibbling a bit of each one 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving! I am also grateful to have met you through the Knit Unto Others KAL.
What am I doing 2500 miles away!? You do Thanksgiving well;-)
I just made it home from the gym so I can now go have a piece of Neena’s pumpkin pie that we were too full to eat last night. Have a lovely, joyful day, grrlfriend!
Those pies look delicious! Drop me a line if you need help finishing them off. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving!
They really DO look delicious! (Though I’ve never really been a fan of Mince pie.) We had pumpkin pie and little chocolate cakes, and everyone was happy. Yum. And, tomorrow? My traditional “Digestion Day” breakfast of a slice of pumpkin pie, with a cup of coffee. (What? I only do it once a year!)
remember how i said i couldn’t do crust? well i tried again — and noticed that my recipe is exactly like yours except that i use butter (but the proportions are the same).
anyway, i learned that the trick is for everything to stay cold (thanks martha) and the crust was great!
almost as good as my mom’s
happy thanksgiving.
ok, is mince the same as mince meat? is there actually meat in the pie? call me a pie idiot! the cranberry walnut looks particularly delicious :O)
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Your pies look yummy.
Ya know, with that recipe, I think maybe this will be the year I start trying to make my own pie crusts again. I gave up years ago when a decent (not great, but decent) frozen pie crust became available. But, as the kids are on the verge of moving on and starting their own lives, I realize I have to have something to bring them back!!! Good pie crust works on me!!! LOL
happy thanksgiving to you,dale,hannah luke and the whole julius family. yummy looking pies. carole, you rule in the pie department. love to all, sharon and al
Those pies look delicious!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! See you on Sunday.
Any chance you might bring some pie? 😉
Oh, lovely!! I can smell those pies from here. Looks like things are under control over there and a good time is being had by all (enjoyed the pre-game show). Carry on, and have a great weekend!