Thanksgiving Preparations – Pies
October 27th, 2006
I am honestly afraid of what my family might do to me if I didn’t make pies on Thanksgiving. Generally, the argument is WHICH KIND of pies I should make.
There are seven members of this family and I would have to make seven pies to please everyone perfectly.
If you are looking for a recipe today, check out my post on making pie crust.
Here is my top-ten list of good fall / harvest pies to serve for Thanksgiving-dinner-dessert:
1. Pumpkin
2. Pecan
3. Apple
4. Apple Crumb
5. Custard
6. Pear
7. Cherry
8. Cranberry-Pecan
9. Fresh Lemon
10. Chocolate Cream
I come from a big family with plenty of siblings and loads of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. When we ate Thanksgiving dinner, children ate at a separate table wherever the women found room to stick them. Usually this was a card table or two set up in the den. We gobbled as much or as little food as we wished, went back for second helpings at will, and were pretty much ignored by the adults, who understandably wanted adult conversation.
As a teenager, I was still at a “kid’s” table for holidays. I think the requirement for moving up to an “adult” table is marriage. Anyway, eating holiday meals with my in-laws-to-be was an entirely different experience. My husband, being an only child from a smaller family with fewer cousins, always ate at the “adult” table. There was no “kid” table. He didn’t help himself from a buffet-style serving line like I had. He was served, family-style, on the “good” tableware and with the “good” silverware.
This was completely foreign to me. Something I’d seen in the movies, maybe. His family ate like human beings, civilized. Slowly savoring each dish. Dinner might take an hour. At my house, it might take 10-20 minutes, max.
And after dinner, it was time for pie and coffee. Pat’s mother would meticulously clean up the dishes and the kitchen while everyone remained at the dining room table. She would not allow me to help. Eventually, she would bring out the pies and a fresh pot of coffee for whoever wanted it. By this time, our full bellies were not sure if pie was a good idea. We forced the issue anyway. When you eat a fast meal, you can cram the pie in before you realize how full you are. When you eat slowly, you are completely aware of how much you have eaten. You feel stuffed, and yet you are offered pie – the very best part of Thanksgiving dinner. How can you refuse?
Simple. You can’t. Sometimes you have to sample two pies because you can’t choose which looks best.
Overindulgence. Probably not what the pilgrims had in mind when they gave thanks almost 400 years ago.
Well, what doesn’t get distorted after 400 years?
Entry Filed under: Desserts, Holidays, Mixed bag, Philosophy, Pie, Recipes, Supper, Table talk
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