Sugar & slice: recipes for essential Thanksgiving pies (2024)

Call it a sweet coda, delicious denouement, Thanksgiving's most anticipated conclusion. It's pie, of course, and this is the dessert's time to shine. It would be unthinkable to consider Thanksgiving dinner without a slice of pie. Now through New Year's Eve, every home baker worth his or her flaky crust will put hands in flour to bake pies. So we asked three of Houston's top pastry chefs - Alyssa Dole of Revival Market, Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar and Samantha Mendoza of Triniti restaurant - to share their favorite pie recipes. Any way you slice it, you're ready to end your Turkey Day on a sweet note.

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Revival Market Pumpkin Pie with Lard & Butter Crust

Courtesy Alyssa Dole

Makes 2 pies

PIE CRUST

4 ounces unsalted butter

12 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons kosher salt

4 ounces cold lard (can be purchased at Revival Market or substitute with butter)

6 ounces ice water

Instructions: Cut butter into small cubes. Return to refrigeration until needed.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. Add lard and pulse 4 more times. Add half of the ice water and pulse the dough 8-12 times. With the machine running, add ice water 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough begins to form a ball. You may not use all the water. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough in half. Roll each half on a floured surface to a 10-inch to 11-inch round circle that is about 1⁄8- to ¼-inch thick. Place dough in 9-inch baking tins, then line with foil, fill with dry rice, beans or lentils. Blind bake for about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

FILLING

30 ounces pumpkin purée

6 egg yolks

2 eggs

2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine pumpkin purée, yolks and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and spices. Whisk until smooth and well combined.

Pour into blind-baked pie shells. Place into oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes. Rotate the pie about halfway through to ensure even baking. The pie should no longer jiggle in the center when ready. If you see the top of the pie start to crack, it is a good indicator that your pie is ready to come out of the oven. Cool and refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream.

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Mountain Rose Apple Pie

Courtesy Rebecca Masson

Makes a 9-inch pie

CRUST

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

¼ cup ice water

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

TOPPING

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

Pinch kosher salt

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed

FILLING

3 pounds Mountain Rose or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1⁄3-inch-thick wedges

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions: To make the crust, pulse the flour with the granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Sprinkle the ice water and vinegar on top and pulse until evenly moistened. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather up any crumbs and form into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 14-inch round, a scant 1/4-inch thick. Ease the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 2 inches. Fold the overhanging dough under itself to form a ½-inch-high rim; crimp decoratively. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the flour with the oats, brown sugar and salt at low speed. With the machine at medium speed, gradually beat in the butter. Transfer to a bowl and press into clumps. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the apples with the flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Spread the apple mixture in the crust and set the pie on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake the pie for about 25 minutes, until the crust is just starting to brown.

Remove the pie from the oven and gently pack the crumb topping onto the apples. Bake for 30 minutes longer, until the topping is golden and the pie is just starting to bubble. Let cool completely on a rack before serving.

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Pecan Pie

Courtesy Samantha Mendoza

Makes a 9-inch pie

CRUST

6 ounces all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 ounce cold water

4 ounces butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions: In a small mixer fitted with the paddle attachment place the flour, salt and water. Gradually add the butter until dough forms.

When the butter is completely incorporated in the dough, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about one hour to let it rest.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and begin to roll out to fit 9-inch pan. Place dough in pie tin and blind bake for about 20 minutes. Allow crust to cool.

FILLING

8ounces sugar

8ounces dark corn syrup

1ounce melted butter

3eggs

1tablespoon vanilla

10ounces pecans

Instructions: In a saucepot add sugar, corn syrup and butter, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. Do not allow mixture to boil.

In a separate mixing bowl combine the eggs and vanilla. Pour sugar mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until fully combined.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the pecans in the par-baked crust, then pour in filling. Bake pie for 20 to 30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes so that it will bake evenly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.