There is something so warming and comforting about eating a slice of Apple or Pumpkin Pie, especially now that the days are shorter and the weather cooler.
With Halloween celebration just ending over the weekend, everyone is now getting busy preparing for Christmas but let us not forget about Thanksgiving Day which is a national holiday in the United States and Canada. The celebration celebrates the harvest, safe journeys, military victories and other blessings. The Americans modelled their holiday on a 1621 harvest feast shared between English colonists of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. A Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie.
Both the Apple and Pumpkin Pie recipes featured are from our friends who made us the dessert when we visited them last year. Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the last Thursday of November. I would recommend serving the pie with some whipped cream.
Do try the recipes and let me know what you think of it in the comments section.
Apple Pie
You need a very deep and large pie dish (they use pyrex dishes here and they are 9 1/2 inch) and my friend overfills the pie.
8 large apples (not baking apples but some nice crunchy apples)
2 to 3 tsp of Apple pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and cloves but you can adapt if you can’t find these)
Sugar (to taste)
A couple of tablespoon of flour
A pinch of salt
Lemon juice
Butter
Method
Either bought or homemade short crust or sweet pastry
Cut the apples in thick slices (no need to peel them) and put them into a large bowl.
Add some lemon juice, the flour, spices and salt
Mix well so the apples are coated with the spices and flour
Line your pie dish with the pastry
Add the apple, it’s better if you carefully put then in layers and overfill the pie so the apples are at least one to two centimetres over the dish.
Add all the juices (there should be some but not too much)
Add the lid and seal securely
Cook at 180C until golden brown
Pumpkin Pie
One 15oz tin of pumpkin pulp
One 12oz tin of evaporated milk
2 tsp of pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, allspices, nutmeg, ginger, mace and clove)
2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk (keep the white to paint onto the pastry before adding the mix)
A dash of pepper and salt
2 tbsp maple syrup
Vanilla
2/3 cup of white sugar
1/3 cup of brown sugar
Method
Mix all the above very well and pour into a large lined baking pie dish
Bake for around 1 hour or until the centre does not wobble too much
Serve with some whipped cream.
By Brigitte Kershaw
You may also want to read this:
Traditional French Tarte Aux Pommes Recipe
18 comments
These pies look amazing! I love rustic desserts like this. They just feel so classically festive.
They absolutely do
Apple pies always win for me. I could eat them all day!
Me too, so delicious especially with ice-cream or custard
There is nothing nicer than homemade apple pie, I have never made pumpkin pie before so maybe now is the time to try it
I agree, something so warming about it
This looks delicious! I’ve got some pumpkin left over so will definitely be trying this over the weekend
Hope you do Kira, it is a tasty recipe
I can’t believe how close thanksgiving and even Christmas is. If we had bought pumpkins for Halloween I’d definitely make the pumpkin pie to use up the leftovers x
Yes please do, best not to waste any pumpkins
This apple pie looks another level! I did an apple pie on Saturday, didn’t turn out perfect tbh. I can’t wait to make your recipe.
This is an easy recipe and I am sure this would work
It is nice to do some baking for Thanksgiving. These recipes sound delicious! That is interesting you made the pie with the apple skins on.
Do give the recipe a try, it is very tasty
Ooh we always make these two for Thanksgiving as well. I love baking the pies each year…it’s such a fun tradition and these look perfect!
Thank you, they truly are yummy
I love that you left the peel on. I’m going to try it this way.
Hope you do give the recipe a go