November? It must be pie time!

11/7/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

I’m a big fan of Indian Summers and I’m not yet in a winter frame of mind. So, it’s always a shock to turn my calendar over and discover that it’s November. How can that be? That means there’s still patio furniture to put away, bushes to be trimmed and gardens to be winterized. Sigh.

It also means that I should start thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. But most of us don’t have to think very hard about that because our families are steeped in tradition. Mine used to be but, things have changed. We’ve added new members. A couple of our grandsons are now married and we share them with their wives and their families. Also, one of our sons and his wife are vegans.

Fortunately, our holiday meals are very similar. The basic menu for whoever comes to dinner will feast on roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce; mashed potatoes and gravy; green beans and rolls. If I’m cooking there is also a cranberry Jell-O salad and sweet potato casserole. The vegans eat Tofurky with their veggies and a big green salad.

After turkey and dressing, dessert is the favorite part of the meal. Again, every family usually has their own traditional favorite pie. I say pie, because I’ve never heard anyone talk about their favorite thanksgiving cake. There’s probably lots of them out there but people I know mostly eat pie. Let me know if you have a favorite cake.

We have two or three pies but one is always pumpkin. And we’re not alone. A national survey by Delish editors revealed that pumpkin is the reigning champ of desserts by 36% of those polled—46% on the West Coast. Pecan was a distant second, followed by apple, sweet potato and cherry.

As the longtime pie baker at Kaiser’s Country Diner in Ventura, I have made thousands of pies. Pumpkin was always a best seller and if it’s your first pie you can’t go wrong following the basic directions on a can of Libby’s pumpkin. I do change up the spices a bit but that is a personal preference. Every so often I would also make a Pumpkin Eggnog Pie. So today, just for fun, I’m including that recipe instead of the regular pumpkin.

Another customer favorite was my chocolate pecan pie. It, too, is simple to make, using a variation on the classic Karo pecan recipe. Each of these recipes call for a single unbaked 9” pie shell and a whipped cream garnish.

Before you make the pie, you should make a pie crust. I don’t have room in today’s column for my recipe but the standard Betty Crocker recipe is also good. The trick is getting the right dough consistency and then rolling it out on a floured surface. You can do it! Try it! Or use store bought. Enjoy!

BETTY CROCKER PASTRY

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup+2 tablespoons Crisco shortening

¼ cup ice cold water

Sift flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until shortening pieces are the size of giant peas. Sprinkle with ice water a little at a time. Mix lightly with a fork until all the flour is moist. Add more if needed. Gather dough together with fingers so it cleans the bowl. Press firmly into a ball. Then roll out on floured pastry cloth to desired size.

PUMPKIN EGGNOG PIE

2 cups pumpkin (1 16 ounce can)

1 1/2 cups eggnog

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves (or less)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 unbaked 9” pie shell

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and mix well. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Put in oven and bake 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350° F. Bake another 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate. Garnish with whipped cream. Serves 6-8.

KARO PECAN PIE

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup light or dark corn syrup

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups pecans (more if needed)

1 unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In large bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until well blended. Gently stir in pecans. Pour into pastry shell. If necessary, add more pecans so that the top is covered and there will be pecan in every bite!

Bake in oven 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream. Serves 6-8.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Melt 4 ounces melted semisweet chocolate.

Decrease sugar to 1/3 cup.

Prepare and bake as above.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com