The Pies Have It

To me Thanksgiving means pies. The rest of the menu may be fretted about and fussed over by everyone else in the family, but all I really care about is what comes last. Pies have been my Thanksgiving pleasure and responsibility for the past 25 years, and I begin to anticipate preparing (and eating) them as soon as summer begins to fade.

All of the following pies may be made three or four days in advance and stored, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day Almost Fat-Free Pumpkin Pie, which you may prepare the day before. Reheat all but the pumpkin pie at 325 degrees until warmed through and allow to cool slightly before serving. Pecan and shoofly pies also freeze well--defrost at room temperature for several hours, then reheat as with refrigerated pies.

Making an apple pie doesn’t have to be a long, complicated procedure, especially if you follow this recipe. Peeling and dicing the apples takes the longest time--the rest is a breeze. I use a quickly made, flaky bottom crust and a crumb topping rather than a top crust for a neater, tastier and easier pie. The entire process takes about 1 1/2 hours, including baking.

NEW ENGLAND APPLE PIE 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 1/2 pounds firm, tart apples, such as Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Granny Smith, Pippin or Golden Delicious 2/3 cup granulated sugar or light brown sugar or combination of both 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 unbaked (9-inch) Flaky Pie Shell 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

Combine 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 cup flour in mixing bowl. Add melted butter and stir in evenly. Let stand 5 minutes. Using fingertips, break mixture into 1/4- to 1/2-inch crumbs. Set aside.

Peel, halve and core apples and cut into 1/2-inch dice. In bowl combine apples, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon and lemon zest. Toss well. Place filling in pie shell, mounding slightly in center. Dot filling with cold unsalted butter and cover with reserved crumb topping.

Bake pie on bottom rack of 400-degree oven 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and move pie to middle rack. Bake 20 to 30 minutes longer, until crust is deep golden and juices are just beginning to bubble up. Cool pie on rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 428 calories; 86 mg sodium; 54 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.82 gram fiber.

Flaky Pie Shell 1 1/4 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in food processor bowl and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Add butter. Pulse rapidly about 15 times, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Add 2 tablespoons water and pulse 4 or 5 times to mix, checking to see if most, but not all, of dough forms ball. If dough remains dry, add remaining 1 tablespoon water and pulse again 4 or 5 times.

Quickly form dough into ball with floured hands. Place on piece of lightly floured plastic wrap. Lightly flour top of dough and cover with flat piece of plastic wrap. Press into 6-inch disk then chill to firm slightly.

Roll dough between large sheets of plastic wrap to 12-inch disk. Peel off top plastic sheet and flip dough into 9-inch pie pan. Gently press into pan and peel off plastic. Trim excess dough to within 1/2 inch of edge of pan, tuck excess under and flute rim. Chill.

Pumpkin pie, though a traditional treat, can be a source of many extra (and unnecessary) calories after the holiday feast, and over the last several years I have deliberately pushed mine into a fat-free version. This pie takes about 1 1/2 hours to prepare, including baking, and works equally as well with cooked and pureed squash or sweet potatoes.

THANKSGIVING DAY ALMOST FAT-FREE PUMPKIN PIE 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 small sugar pumpkin, about 2 pounds, or 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin 4 egg whites 2/3 cup sugar Salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 1/4 cups evaporated skim milk

Generously spray 9-inch glass pie plate with vegetable cooking spray. Scatter bread crumbs over plate and evenly press over surface of plate. Spray crumbs with cooking spray and bake crust on middle rack of 350-degree oven 10 to 15 minutes, until dry and lightly toasted. Cool on rack.

If using fresh pumpkin, rinse, stem and halve pumpkin. Scrape away seeds and strings and cut pumpkin into 2-inch chunks. Using paring knife, remove skin and place pumpkin in large baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water and cover dish tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour or until tender, adding more water if it has evaporated. Let cool. Puree pumpkin in food processor. (If there is more than you need, salt leftovers lightly and freeze up to several months in tightly sealed plastic container.)

To prepare filling, scrape cooked fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin into bowl and whisk in egg whites. Whisk in sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, evaporated milk and skim milk, 1 at time, whisking smooth between each addition. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 350 degrees until filling is set, about 1 hour. Cool on rack. Refrigerate, if prepared more than few hours in advance. Makes about 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 172 calories; 592 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.83 gram fiber.

Pecan pie, like a New Orleans praline in a crust, is scented with bourbon (another Southern specialty). Even a Yankee like me can appreciate the very (but not excessively) sweet flavor of a real pecan pie from the heart of Dixie.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE 1 cup dark corn syrup 3/4 cup sugar 6 tablespoons butter, cut up 3 large eggs Salt 2 tablespoons bourbon 2 cups pecan halves or pieces or combination 1 unbaked (9-inch) Sweet Pastry Crust

Combine corn syrup and sugar in saucepan and stir to mix. Place over low heat and bring to boil, without stirring. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir to melt. Whisk eggs in mixing bowl until broken up, then whisk in dash salt and bourbon. Whisk in syrup-butter mixture, being careful not to overmix. Allow to cool.

Arrange pecans in unbaked Sweet Pastry Crust. Skim foam from top of cooled filling (or top will have unattractive mottled surface) and pour over pecans. With back of fork, press pecans down into filling so they are immersed.

Bake pie on bottom rack of 350-degree oven until crust is baked through and filling is set and well puffed in center, about 45 minutes. Cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 575 calories; 191 mg sodium; 145 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.40 gram fiber.

Sweet Pastry Crust 1 cup flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon baking powder Dash salt 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1 large egg

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl of food processor and pulse to mix. Cut butter into 10 or 12 pieces and add to bowl. Pulse about 10 times to finely work in butter. Add egg and pulse again until dough forms ball. Using floured hands, wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 12-inch disk. Fold in half and ease into 9-inch pie pan. Unfold and press firmly into pan. Trim away all but 1/2-inch excess dough at edge of pan. Fold excess under and flute edge.

Shoofly pie, a recent addition to my holiday pie roster, hails from Pennsylvania Dutch country. The version here was shared by Kevin Fisher, manager of the Kitchen Shoppe of Carlisle in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. Like a pecan pie, with buttered crumbs replacing the pecans, shoofly pie is strongly flavored with molasses; it has all the flavors and textures that recall the rustic baking of rural America. The crumbly topping contrasts nicely with--and somewhat relieves--the unabashedly sweet filling. Like the others, this pie takes about 1 1/2 hours to make, including baking time.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH SHOOFLY PIE 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup molasses (not unsulfured) 1/3 cup dark corn syrup 3/4 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon water 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut up 1 unbaked (9-inch) Flaky Pie Dough from apple pie or Sweet Pastry Dough from pecan pie, chilled

Bring water to boil in 3-quart saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in molasses and corn syrup. Stir in baking soda mixture (mixture will foam up in pan). Let cool.

Combine flour and brown sugar in mixing bowl. Rub in butter until mixture forms 1/4- to 1/2-inch crumbs. Set aside.

Pour molasses mixture into prepared dough. Evenly scatter flour-butter crumbs over top. Bake pie on bottom rack of 400-degree oven 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and move pie to middle rack. (Place jellyroll pan lined with foil on oven rack below and under pie to catch drips, if filling begins to boil over.) Bake until crust and crumb topping are deep golden, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Makes about 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

456 calories; 103 mg sodium; 62 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.11 gram fiber.