There’s Always Room for More Pie

1:39 AM, November 24, 2009
It was the same every year growing up:  we’d set the table in the dining room with the fancy china and tablecloth.  The decorative porcelain salt and pepper shakers would make their annual outing and sit authoritatively in the midst of buttery mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, mountains of stuffing, wild rice, cranberry sauce, gravy, and of course, a massive roasted turkey.

At one end of the table were always two requisite pies.  The first was usually a lattice-topped apple.  And the second…the second would be made of that famed squash which Linus van Pelt waited all night long for, that orange vegetable which sits on our stoops every October, that giant gourd-like mass that served as the head of a certain horseman in Sleepy Hollow (imagine if it had been a butternut, not so scary.)  Of course, I’m speaking of the Pumpkin.

To say that I love pumpkin pie is an understatement.  I think I remember eating half a pie by myself once in a single day.  Whoever originally thought that mixing cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg with the squash and serving it as a custard in a pastry shell has my eternal gratitude.  There should be a holiday for the inventor, I say.

Now, its been a number of years since I’ve had a real Thanksgiving dinner (mostly because I was at work serving all those families who don’t cook at home).  But this year is going to be different, though by no means traditional due to some dietary requests.  It won’t be the cherished Thanksgiving of my childhood, but that’s ok, I’m happy just to spend some time with my family.  And at least, there will be pumpkin pie.

“Losing?”  I think not.  (Printed recipe from NotWithoutSalt.com)

Several weeks ago, I saw this recipe from a most inspirational blog, Not Without Salt.  Immediately, I knew I had to try it.  What intrigued me about this thoughtfully-executed pie were four elements:  the olive oil crust, the muscovado sugar, (which I only started using this year and have quickly become addicted to), the bay leaf, and the creative top of varied pastry leaves.  This was a dessert with sophistication and integrity.

(By the way, right at this very moment, there is a stainless steel pot of pumpkin filling cooling, waiting to be stored in the fridge until tomorrow.  I only hope it lasts, as I keep stealing a small taste of the spicy mixture between paragraphs.  Well, at least I have 2 more cans of pumpkin in the cupboard.  ’Tis better to err on the side of caution, I always say…)

4:22 PM, November 24, 2009
I’m dubbing myself “Mrs. Dunderhead.”  I have only just realized that today is Tuesday, not Wednesday (even though the date is sitting right in front of my face!), and I am a little early on making this pie.  No problem, will just make the doughs tonight, then roll, cut and bake tomorrow.

11:44 PM,  November 24, 2009
Who am I kidding?!  Have I ever mentioned that I have zero patience?

I have no regrets for jumping the gun.  This pie is delicious.  The crust is light and tender, almost shortbread-ish.  The filling is silky, lightly dense, and not overly sweet, which is just how I like it.  The pastry leaves add the perfect complement, each flaky bite offering a slightly different experience with a sugary crunch (I did one set of leaves with cinnamon sugar).  I know mine doesn’t look anywhere near as elegant as the original (I own very random non-leafy cookie cutters and am “graced” with non-existent-dough-savvy-techniques), but I can live with it at the moment.  I think I’m going to have another piece now, as a matter of fact.

1:00 PM, November 25, 2009
I predict half this pie will be gone before tomorrow.  No matter.  I’ve still got the other two cans plus 29 hours to make another if need be…

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