4. MAKE THE DESSERTS
For dessert, we're offering you two choices of pies: pumpkin and mixed berry. If you have time, make both.
Pumpkin pie
Cranberry-blueberry pie à la mode
Pumpkin pie
If this pie isn't being made on Thanksgiving day, it should be the last thing you make the night before; the pie crust will begin to soften after it's baked with the filling, so the sooner your guests devour it, the better.
Preparation Time: 4 hours (including chilling time)
Ingredients:
- 1 ready-made piecrust
- 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ cup evaporated milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. group cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp. salt
- Whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375° F and warm the piecrust in the oven until it is feels hot.
- In a large bowl, mix all the other ingredients together until smooth.
- Remove the piecrust from the oven, pour the pumpkin filling into it, and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Keep checking up on the pie because it'll crack if over-baked. The pie is done when the filling is mostly solid and only a tad bouncy when nudged.
- Cool pie on a rack, then refrigerate until the next day. Don't freeze pumpkin pies because they don't take kindly to it.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped topping on each slice.
Cranberry-blueberry pie à la mode
Preparation Time: 1½ hours
Ingredients:
- 1 ready-made pie crust
- 12 oz. frozen unsweetened blueberries
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 6 tbsp. orange juice
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- Half gallon of vanilla ice cream
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Combine the blueberries, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well.
- Heat up the orange juice in a large saucepan and slowly add cornstarch until it dissolves.
- Add the berry mix and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the mixture constantly for 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Then remove it from heat and let it cool completely.
- Carefully spoon the berry filling into the ready-made pie crust. Sprinkle the top of the pie all over with 1 tbsp. of sugar.
- Bake for about an hour, or until the crust is browned and the berry filling is bubbling. Check on the pie constantly to make sure the crust doesn't crack and the berries aren't bubbling over.
- Cool the pie and refrigerate until 1 hour before it's to be served.
- Consider serving the pie warmed over and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of each slice. Call it "pie à la mode" to impress your guests.
