I asked, and you delivered. Dozens of you forwarded photos of your Thanksgiving pies. I knew it would be difficult to whittle your photos down to the 16 that appear here, but whittle I did. My deepest gratitude to ALL of you who took the time to pass along your pictures, stories, quips and best wishes. Much as I would love to include all of it here, it would be Christmas before I could do justice to your submissions. Other projects beckon. Here’s hoping you enjoy this gallery as much as I have.
Madeleine’s Sweet Potato Pie
Friend Millie Kosheba sent this photo of her sister-in-law’s – Madeleine Dailey’s – beautiful Sweet Potato Pie, proving the point – quite nicely – that we eat with our eyes first. Says Millie: “She’s an AWESOME pie maker.” Sure looks like it.
Carley’s Pumpkin Pie
Here’s Carley Zepeda’s rendition of the traditional Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe – her dad’s favorite. Inspired by my book, PIE, she says she resolved to make two pies a month. “After five months or so I was so much more comfortable whipping out a pie that it’s now my go-to for party contributions and I love sharing my pies with others.”
Susan’s Spiced Pumpkin Indian Pudding Pie
Susan Malone – one of the attendees of this fall’s Lowcountry Pie Getaway – sent this photo of her Spiced Pumpkin Indian Pudding Pie from my book PIE. She’s one talented pie maker and a great asset to our pie making community.
Kathy’s Pumpkin Pie
Rounding out the pumpkin pie group, Kathy Baker from Kansas made 3 pumpkin pies to take to her sister-in-law’s for Thanksgiving. I loved the autumn leaves in the background.
There were 13 people for dinner yesterday, and somehow we ended up with 6 pies…2 pumpkin, a peach, a peanut butter, a graham cracker pie, and your recipe for The Perfect Pecan Pie. – Laura Mansfield, Athens, Ohio
Tim’s Brown Sugar Apple Pie
“Greetings from Australia” writes Tim Wallace. “We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here as a tradition but since I married an American from Rhode Island, we have started to do it as a family. We got together and had turkey and all the trimmings. I made one of your brown sugar apple pies and Jen made a family secret mud pie. Here’s a photo of my apple pie.” Nice work, Tim.
Amy’s Pecan Pie
Amy Adams writes to say that she made two of these pecan pies from her grandma’s Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook from 1960, proof that good taste never goes out of style. She made this pie in her grandma’s kitchen in the family’s farmhouse. “She passed away many years ago but I feel her here with me when I bake here. As a girl, she cooked pies in a cook shack out in the wheat fields of Eastern Washington, starting in about 1915.”
Paula’s Cranberry, Cherry and Apple Floating Top Pie
Loved the photo…and inspired by this recipe from The Pie Academy archives. Thanks Paula Chan.
Barbara’s Jonagold Apple Pie
“I was late as usual to the Thanksgiving festivities” writes Barbara Jaffe from California, “since I refuse to bring pies that aren’t warm from the oven.” (I like her pie spunk!) She said this and another apple pie she made baked up very nicely. “I made an all butter crust and piled up the apples as high as I dared, for a little theatre.”
Shelby’s Cranberry-Lemon Meringue Pie
With a photo like this, how could I resist? This one’s from New Hampshire’s Shelby Stearns, another graduate of this year’s Lowcountry Pie Getaway.
Justin’s Calvados Apple Pie
Justin Evaniew sent this delish photo of the pie he made for Canadian Thanksgiving. He also made a pear/raspberry and “I think I’ve converted my wife and I to pear pies from apple.”
Peter’s Granny Smith and Winesap Apple Pie
Nashville’s Peter Zelek says this beauty took 4 pounds of apples, including my favorite for apple pie – Winesaps. Nice job, Peter, and I like the cutouts on the top crust.
Catherine’s Apple Cider Syrup Pie
Pie comrade Catherine Gewertz of CurvyMama Pies sent this photo of what she calls the “best apple pie ever.” I don’t doubt it. Looks gorgeous.
Made our pies this morning in an AGA stove! We’re at an Airbnb rental and they have an AGA. Which actually terrified me – four different ovens, all with different temperatures. No thermometer, so glad I brought my oven thermometer with me! – Leslie Dumont
Tony’s Favorite Apple Pie
As baked by Tony’s friend, Dana Ross. It’s a caramel apple pie that was developed over several years. Instead of a lattice crust this year, “I filled the top with pieces cut into upper case T.” Pretty thoughtful, if you ask me.
Blue’s Blueberry Pie in a Tart Pan
Made with home grown blueberries, Blue says this tasted fantastic, but “was a disaster trying to remove from the pan. My first time attempting a lattice, tho’ I wish I’d seen your vid first.” Disaster or not, looks scrumptious, Blue, and I’m sure your guests devoured it.
Sue’s Apple Tart with Apricot Glaze
Sue Fisher from Colorado says that she was in a bit of a rush and didn’t take as much time as she should have slicing the apples, but you coulda’ fooled me. It looks fabulous. “I just happened to have a picture because a friend of mine was going to try making a tart for the first time and she wanted to see what the finished product should look like.”
Well, Ken, I have a long way to go. I’m staying in the game because I love pies and I believe in time I will master this skill. You make it look so easy. You can use my pictures to help make others feel better about their results (lol). Enjoy your Thanksgiving. – Brian Kinnear
Last but not least, I had to include this photo from the pie-loving Nelsen family, sent by Chad Nelsen, center. Pie making, says Chad, is central to their annual Thanksgiving feast. They typically start planning their pie lineup a good two weeks before the big day, but this year his sister and her new husband were on their honeymoon so the pie making was “fast and furious” at the last minute. None of which seems to have put a dent in the gorgeous offerings, from Chocolate Pecan Pie to the Hawaiian Haupia Pie. Thanks, Chad.
Thanks again to all of you who submitted photos and stories that I didn’t post here. Including…
…Marie Hall, whose emails I always appreciate; Doug Gilzow, who gets together for an annual Thanksgiving dinner with his Peace Corps friends; Laurel Hamilton, who finally made a crust she didn’t have to piece together with glue; Linda Hoskins, my colleague from the American Pie Council; Lynda Tacia; Lucy Fox, who bakes amazing apple and pear pies; Cathleen Lentz; Stuart Thompson, who says he appreciates The Pie Academy’s “furtherance of pie building” – thank you, Stuart; Linda Childer, who opens her doors at Thanksgiving to those who would otherwise be spending the holiday alone; Angie Robbins, master of the strawberry pie; Robin Birnbaum, a regular and supportive Pie Academy member and accomplished pie maker; Kathy DeStadio, a coconut custard pie wizard; Michele Wasman, a fine Lake Oswego, Oregon pie maker; friends Tom and Carol Garbacik in “soggy Oregon”; Ann Kennedy, who says she’s gotten rid of soggy crusts once and for all; Brenda Byrne, who makes a lovely Salted Caramel Apple Pie; my nephew Todd Haedrich, who turns out gorgeous pies from his family’s home in Maine; Marilyn Fishwick, whose apple pie has made her sister switch from pumpkin as her favorite Thanksgiving pie; Heidi Sherry, whose family, she says, wanted to dig into her Thanksgiving pie before dinner was served; Peggy Zilm, whose mini cranberry pies look like works of art; and – last but certainly not least – Jessica Gelineau – whose hobby is baking her way through every recipe in my book PIE and just made the 126th – Maple Pecan Pie – for Thanksgiving. I admire the heck out of you, Jessica.
And please, if I missed anyone, I hope you’ll forgive me!
