Classic and Not-So Classic Thanksgiving Day Desserts

I am in total denial that it is mid November, and that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away.  Where has the time gone?  And how exactly am I supposed to share all my favorite Thanksgiving day desserts with so little time remaining?  The only solution I could come up with was to cram this blog post full of my favorites.  So that’s what I did.

Today I’m sharing four recipes. Pumpkin pie and buttermilk pie are classic desserts that are expected on our dessert buffet every year; pumpkin tiramisu and apple-buttermilk pie offer a fresh perspective on these classic flavors.

I love being outside when there’s a slight chill in the air, so this weekend I decided to take my food photography outdoors.  I don’t know if it was the fresh air or the pretty foliage, but I was feeling especially creative and decided to throw together an impromptu video.  I count on these simple, spur-of-the-moment creative impulses.  I’ve learned something about myself through this blog.  I often get these big ideas, and every time I try to execute some elaborate plan, something will go haywire and I’m left feeling creatively frustrated.  I’m slowly learning the beauty of simple, so here’s a simple little video that is my celebration of fall, apple-buttermilk pie, and my best bud.

(email subscribers may need to click over to view)

Now, a little more about these desserts.

One thing that makes the pumpkin tiramisu so delicious is the mixture of maple syrup and coffee that gets drizzled over the ladyfingers.  And boy, is it ever easy to throw together!  With all the work and complexity that goes into the rest of Thanksgiving, it feels a little like cheating.

My pumpkin pie recipe is very no-frills, but delicious all the same. I did dress it up a little with some pie crust “cookies” that I cut from the leftover dough.  What can I say, I like a lot of crust with my pie!

Choose your slice!

Okay, so I realize that not everyone has buttermilk pie on their “classic desserts” list.  It’s a common dessert in the south, and this particular recipe is Granny Baird’s.  It is Mr. Baird’s favorite dessert ever, and since Granny Baird is no longer with us, his sister Megan makes it at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  For those who have never sampled buttermilk pie, it has a sweet, smooth custard filling that is ever-so-slightly tangy.

My personal favorite is the apple-buttermilk pie.  I’m not one to make declarative statements, but after tasting it, Mr. Baird and I both declared that we would be perfectly okay with never eating regular apple pie again.  The buttermilk custard makes the apples so tender… and did I mention that it has a streusel topping?  It does. I live for streusel.

Almost forgot! I have a whole other roundup of fall goodies on the Cooking Channel’s blog.  Check it out here.

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Yield: one  8-9 inch pie, 8 servings                                                                        [click for printable version]

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or use 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp ground cloves)

2 eggs

15 oz. pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

12 oz can of evaporated milk

1 unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon and pie spice in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a separate large bowl.  Stir in pumpkin and sugar spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
3. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Allow pie to cool completely.  Serve.  Refrigerate uneaten portion.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

Adapted from BHG

6-8 servings                                                                                                         [click for printable version]

4-5 oz package ladyfingers (crispy, not soft)

1/2 cup maple syrup (maple flavored syrup is okay to use)

2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee

Filling:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap.  Set aside.
2. Combine maple syrup and coffee in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Line the bottom of the prepared pan with lady fingers and drizzle half the syrup over them.
3. In a small bowl combine pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  In a separate small mixing bowl combine the heavy cream and granulated sugar.  Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Pour half of mixture over the lady fingers.  Create another layer with ladyfingers and drizzle the remaining syrup over.  Top with remaining filling

Topping:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese or cream cheese softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a small bowl combine mascarpone or cream cheese and granulated sugar.  Beat with a hand mixer on low speed.  Gradually beat in heavy cream until just thickened.  Spoon onto layered dessert.
2. Cover and chill for 8 hours.  Use the plastic wrap to lift the dessert from the pan. 
3. Top with freshly grated nutmeg when ready to serve.

Granny Baird’s Buttermilk Pie

Recipe courtesy Megan Baird                                                                               [click for printable version]

8 servings

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

8 inch pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.  Mix in flour and salt.  Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until well incorporated. Add buttermilk and vanilla, mix well to combine
3. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Apple & Buttermilk Pie

Adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

10 servings                                                                                                           [click for printable version]

Note: This recipe requires a deep-dish pie pan.

Crust:

Ready made 9″ deep dish pie crust.  (Or homemade, if you prefer)

Streusel topping:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tbsp cold butter cut into small cubes

Filling:

5 cups (about 2lbs.) sliced and peeled apples, a firm variety like Granny Smith

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 3/4 cups fat-free buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle and fit into a 9 inch deep dish pie pan coated with cooking spray.  Fold edges under and flute.  Place pie in refrigerator until ready for use.
3. To prepare streusel, combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  A mini-chopper is handy for this if you have one.  Store in refrigerator until ready for use.
4. For filling, heat a large nonstick skillet (I used my cast iron pan) coated with cooking spray over medium heat.  Add sliced apples, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until apples begin to soften. Stir occasionally.  Spoon apple mixture into prepared crust.
5. Combine remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, salt and eggs, stirring with a whisk.  Stir in buttermilk and vanilla.  Pour over the apple mixture.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees (do not remove pie from oven); sprinkle streusel over pie.  Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes or until set.  Let stand 1 hour before serving.