Thanksgiving

One of the things Michele’s Pies is best known for is our Pumpkin Pie. The secret to our success is simple: Use fresh pumpkins, never canned. I recommend using the sugar pumpkin variety for this recipe because not only do these pumpkins have the most flavor, but their dark orange flesh will make your pie a beautiful, deep, rich orange color. Processing pumpkins does take some extra effort, but it’s worth it when you see everyone’s faces light up as they taste their first bites of this special pie after Thanksgiving dinner. To be honest, when I first opened up the shop, I had to convince my own staff to take the additional step of pumpkin processing in the midst of the Thanksgiving rush. After hearing a few of them make the argument for using a premade canned pumpkin filling, I decided to prove my point. I sat the entire staff down for a blind taste test, during which I served them pumpkin pies made from a variety of canned pumpkin fillings and a pie made from my own freshly processed pumpkins. Unanimously, they chose the freshly processed pumpkin pie as the best of the bunch. Since then, I’ve never heard a single complaint about the extra effort. (For processing instructions, see page 65).

Talk about zing! This pie will turn even the most bland and basic of winter dinners into a completely memorable meal. The red color of fresh cranberries mixed in with the pale hues of apples and pears makes for a gorgeous presentation. But that’s just the beginning. This pie also beautifully combines the tartness of cranberries with the sweetness of apples and pears. To really highlight the spectacular color of this pie, use either the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping or the Walnut Crumb Topping (page 14). Or if you want to highlight the tartness of the cranberries, I recommend using the double-crust Traditional Pastry Piecrust (page 5).

Unlike fresh cranberries, which can be tart, dried cranberries provide an extra layer of sweetness to the classic apple pie. This dessert is a great finale to a pork roast dinner. Try it with the Traditional Pastry double crust (page 5) as an alternative.

Apple pie seems like the perfect place to begin, since it was the first pie I ever made. Despite all of the practice I had making this pie as a kid with my grandma, it took me a very long time to commit this recipe to paper; but, after many tries, I was finally able to get her recipe down! Select your apples based on your own taste preferences. At the shop, we use Cortland apples for their sweetness (Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp or McIntosh are also sweet). You can also get creative and use a combination of both sweet and tart apples, such as Fuji and Granny Smith apples (Jonathan and Rome Beauties are tart as well). You can also try this pie with the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping (page 12) and drizzled with Caramel Sauce (page 189); it earned us two National Pie Championships Award.

A staff favorite, this pie was inspired by the large selection of apples available throughout the autumn months at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. Using many varieties produces the best flavor.

To use fresh pumpkin, halve and place a 1 3/4-pound sugar pumpkin, cut sides down, in a baking pan. Roast in a 400°F oven until very soft, fifty to sixty minutes. Scoop out flesh and purée in a food processor until very smooth.

If you don’t have a cake ring, you can use a nine-inch springform pan instead; make sure the dough comes up 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the pan.

If you use miniloaf pans, reduce the baking time to forty-five minutes. This bread is delightful as soon as it cools, but it’s even better the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to develop.

This pie, so deep orange that it’s almost brown, gives off a heavenly scent as it bakes. It’s a warmer, richer twist on the traditional pumpkin pie recipe. If you like, garnish the center of the pie with pecans after it’s baked.

Crabapples grow abundantly in Appalachia and in other parts of the South. It takes a lot of these small apples to make 6 cups, but for people who love tart apples, this tiny powerhouse of a fruit is unbeatable. Depending on where you live, the season starts in August and sometimes continues into early winter. Whenever crabapple season occurs in your area, make it a point to slip this unusual treat into your yearly pie rituals. To core the crabapples, slice off the blossom end with a paring knife and cut around the core in four cuts. This will leave a squarish core, which is much easier than trying to halve and core the crabapples. If you can’t find crabapples, substitute tart apples, such as Granny Smith, and coat the diced apples with the vanilla, lemon juice, and water right away, instead of sprinkling them on after the pie is filled.

If you like the flavor of sour apples, cut the amount of sugar in the filling to 1/3 cup. If you want to enhance the sweetness, serve with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. This recipe comes from Cynthia Craig, a longtime baker at the restaurant.

This moist and crumbly pie has a consistency almost like a coffee cake. As a result, unlike most pies, it’s safe to cut into this one when it’s slightly warm. As with all prebaked pastry crusts, it’s important to cover the edges with foil or crust shields while the filling bakes, so it doesn’t burn. Walnuts, almonds, or pecans work nicely with this pie.

This pie offers a perfect blend of apples and raisins. You can add the sweet icing, which is a surprising and delightful touch—or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a blisteringly hot, Southern summer day.

Although the flavor might seem unusual for a cupcake, sweet potatoes have long been pureed and baked into desserts, such as sweet potato pie. This playful rendition of a traditional Thanksgiving side dish—complete with mini marshmallows and candied pecans on top—will appeal to anyone who loves the sweet, earthy flavors of root vegetables. Serve the cupcakes as one component of a holiday dessert buffet. If you like, bake and mash the sweet potatoes the day before you make the cupcakes; let cool completely and refrigerate, covered.

Gobble, gobble! Gummy candies, marshmallows, and toasted coconut flakes make excellent facial features and feathers for tiny Thanksgiving “turkeys.” Coconut marshmallows are available at specialty stores and online; if you can’t find them, make your own: Coat marshmallows with buttercream and then dip them in ground, toasted coconut.

Pumpkin spice cupcakes topped with tiny marzipan pumpkins are an unexpected alternative (or addition) to pie for Thanksgiving, but these treats would also be welcome at a Halloween party or any other fall occasion.

These cupcakes are made with a combination of ingredients commonly found in a beloved autumn pie—pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves—and enhanced with brown butter and fresh sage. To cut sage into chiffonade, or very fine strips, stack the leaves, then roll up tightly before slicing thinly crosswise with a sharp knife.