Pie season is upon us. We pick at the sweet potatoes, tolerate a serving of turkey and move the green bean casserole around on our plate, making sure to save room for dessert — the pie. Fruit pies, cream pies, chocolate pies, nut pies … we all have our favorite. (And let’s be honest; cheesecake’s a total misnomer. It’s just cheese pie.) Here are three delicious holiday dessert recipes to impress at your next event.
Pie has been around since ancient Greece, when Grecians encased meat in pastry crust. Romans developed double crust pie in 2000 BC. Sweet pies were first documented in 16th-century England, when Elizabeth I proclaimed she was particularly fond of cherry pie. The elite were known to impress guests by ordering elaborate pies with live animals inside. Turns out the nursery rhyme “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie” wasn’t a farce after all. Henceforth, pies have been a favorite dessert for kings and common folk alike.
It’s likely that a form of pumpkin pie was served at the first Thanksgiving. Cultivating pumpkins was something Wampanoag natives and English colonists had in common, and the latter were adept pie bakers by the time they arrived on American shores.
Pie became further entrenched in American history in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. Abolitionists like Sarah Josepha Hale and Lydia Marie Child each made special mention of pumpkin pie in their famous published works. Southerners saw it as a way to have northern customs imposed on them and initially rebelled at the idea of feasting on turkey and custard pie.
These days, a less heated debate arises in American households on Turkey Day: Which is the best pie topping, meringue or whipped cream? Both are light, pillowy and sweet, so what makes one superior? Staunch advocates for meringue cite its caramelized top as a perfect contrast to the sweet filling. Whipped cream lovers dislike the foamy texture of meringue and prefer a creamy mouthfeel.
One such argument was played out at my grandparents’ house every November. My grandfather would mutter an audible “calf slobber” within earshot of my grandmother as he scraped the meringue off his lemon pie. She would roll her eyes, shake her head and say, “More for me!” The rest of us stood in neutral corners, ready to retreat to the football game blaring in the den if things got heated. Maybe this sounds familiar.
One thing isn’t open for debate: Americans love pie. It has secured its reign as the Thanksgiving dessert of choice. Whether your pie is fruit or nut, single or double crust, cream or meringue, we hope it’s just the way you like it this holiday season.
Key Lime Pie
Makes One 9-inch Pie | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 10 oz store-bought shortbread cookies
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp melted butter
Filling:
- 1 lb key limes, or 6 large limes
- Two 14-oz cans of sweetened,
- Condensed milk
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
Topping:
- 1 cup whipping cream, chilled
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Lime zest
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse shortbread cookies in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Mix in brown sugar. Add melted butter in a stream and blend until the mixture comes together. Pour into a 9-inch pie pan and press against the bottom and sides to form a crust. Bake for 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown.
Meanwhile, zest the limes until you have 1 tablespoon of zest, plus a little more for garnish. Juice the limes until you have 3/4 cup fresh lime juice. Combine zest, juice, sweetened condensed milk and Greek yogurt in a large bowl. Whisk until a homogenous, smooth mixture is formed.
Decrease the oven temperature to 350°F. Pour filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
While the pie cools, whisk cold whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a standing mixer for 1-2 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the pie until ready to serve, or at least 3 hours. You can also chill the pie in the freezer if you’re pressed for time. Serve the pie cold, topped with whipped cream and lime zest.
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Makes One 9-inch Pie | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes
Crust:
- 1 cup, plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 cup water, ice cold
Filling:
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs yolks
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Meringue:
- 4 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine dry ingredients for the crust in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers until mixture resembles dry oatmeal. Pour in water and knead to combine. If dough seems dry, add more water a teaspoon at a time until a soft dough is formed.
Flour a clean work surface and roll the dough out to a circle about 10” in diameter. Carefully roll dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork or use pie weights to keep the dough in place while it bakes. Cook in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine half and half, sugar and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch until creamy and well combined. Once the milk mixture is steaming hot, temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring in 1 cup of hot milk mixture. Add the egg yolk mixture to the pan and continue to cook until just starting to bubble, stirring frequently. Remove mixture from heat and stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla.
Pour filling into the prepared pie crust. For meringue, whisk egg whites in a standing mixer on high speed. Once egg whites have started to froth and form a foam, add cream of tartar and continue to beat. While the mixer is still on, slowly spoon in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks are formed.
Preheat the oven to low broil. Top pie with meringue and heat under the broil until the top of the meringue is golden brown. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within 7 days.
Coconut Crème Pie
Makes One 9-inch Pie | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp butter, cold and cubed
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup ice water
Filling:
- one 13.5 oz can coconut milk, full fat
- 1 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Topping:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse coconut in a food processor or blender for 3 minutes until very fine, almost a powder. Add coconut and remaining dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut in butter and coconut oil using a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers, until mixture resembles dry oatmeal. Pour in water and knead to combine. If dough seems dry, add more water one teaspoon at a time until a soft dough is formed.
Flour a clean work surface and roll the dough out to a circle about 10” in diameter. Carefully roll dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork or use pie weights to keep the dough in place while it bakes. Cook in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, half and half, sugar and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch until creamy and well combined. Once the milk mixture is steaming hot, temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring in 1 cup of coconut milk mixture while whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add the egg yolk mixture to the pan and continue to cook until just starting to bubble, stirring frequently. Remove mixture from heat and add butter, vanilla and shredded coconut.
Remove pie crust from the oven and fill with cooked filling, leveling out with a spatula. Transfer pie to the freezer to cool while you make the topping. In a standing mixer, whip cream, sugar and vanilla with whisk attachment for about 60 seconds until stiff peaks form.
Once the pie has cooled, top with whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within seven days.
