’Tis the pie-baking season! While the classic pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies are mainstay favorites among Thanksgiving and holiday tables, there’s always room for another, because who doesn’t go for seconds, thirds, and next-day slices? Whether it’s a spin on a traditional apple or an entirely new take on a holiday pie—like one using of-the-moment ingredients with kabocha squash—these are sure to be crowd-pleasers, even for the dessert classicists among us. Here, four pie filling recipes to introduce to your table this year.
“This not-so-classic classic is our favorite holiday pie. It’s understated—not too fancy or not too complicated—and it looks great on a dessert table.”
—Cheryl Perry, cofounder, Pie Corps
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk (with the remaining egg white separated but saved)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions: 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and milk. Heat until just starting to boil, be sure to watch it because it will go from barely simmering to heavy boiling rather quickly. Remove from heat, add the coconut, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the three whole eggs, the egg yolk, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
3. Slowly add in the hot milk mixture, and beat continuously so that the egg mixture already in the bowl does not cook. Once the hot milk mixture is completely blended in, set the mixture aside to cool to room temperature.
4. Place the unbaked piecrust in a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edges to your liking. Brush the insides (bottom, sides, and top) with the egg white to help prevent the crust from getting soggy. Carefully pour the custard mixture into the piecrust.
6. Bake at375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling is just about set. It should not be so jiggly that it’s like liquid but also not so firm that it’s solid.
7. Remove from oven and cool on rack. When pie is just about room temperature, place in refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
“Autumn is apple season. I love our recipe because we use both sweet and tart apples, thinly sliced and stacked high. So often apple pies are overpowered with cinnamon—but we use a balanced, almost savory blend of spices that includes black pepper and Angostura bitters; add a generous scoop of buttery caramel and you have the perfect apple pie filling.”
—Emily Elsen, cofounder, Four
Twenty Blackbirds
Ingredients: 1 cup plus 2 T granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 lemons
6 to 7 baking apples
2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters
1/3 cup raw sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
One grind fresh black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. flake sea salt, plus more for finishing
Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 tsp. water and a pinch of salt)
Demerara sugar, for finishing
Instructions: 1. Whisk together 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the water in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep golden brown, almost copper.
2. Remove from the heat and immediately, but slowly, add the heavy cream—be careful, the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam. Whisk the final mixture together well and set aside to cool while you prepare the apple filling.
3. Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl, removing any seeds. Prepare the apples using an apple-peeling machine; or core, peel, and thinly slice them with a sharp knife or on a mandoline. Dredge the apple slices in the lemon juice. Sprinkle lightly with the remaining granulated sugar. Set aside to soften slightly and release some of the juices, 20 to 30 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, sprinkle the Angostura bitters over the raw sugar. Add the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, kosher salt, and flour, and mix well. Add the prepared apples to the sugar-spice mixture, leaving behind any excess liquids. Gently turn the apples to evenly distribute the spice mix.
5. Tightly layer the apples in the prepared pie shell so that there are minimal gaps, mounding the apples slightly higher in the center. Pour a generous 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce evenly over the apples (use the larger quantity of sauce if you’d like a sweeter pie). Sprinkle with the flake sea salt. Assemble the lattice on top of the pie and crimp the edges as desired.
6. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to set the pastry.
7. Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Brush the pastry with the egg wash to coat, being careful not to drag the caramel onto the pastry (it will burn), and sprinkle with the desired amount of demerara sugar and flake sea salt.
9. Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and beginning to brown.
10. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Test the apples for doneness with a skewer or sharp knife; they should be tender and should offer just the slightest resistance.
11. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.
“I was seduced by the kabocha squash—its deep orange flesh continues to ripen after it is picked, developing its own natural sweetness, yet it is lower in calories than pumpkin or butternut squash. I sealed the deal by adding in persimmon, a too-often-overlooked fruit that is as creamy as a mango and adds a honey-like flavor as well as bright floral notes.”
—Bill Yosses, chef and owner, Perfect Pie
Ingredients: 3 lbs. kabocha, butternut, or acorn squash, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed
2 medium very ripe persimmons, root and stem end removed and flesh scooped out
1 large egg
1 clementine, zest and juice
1/2 cup soymilk
2 T honey
1 T maple syrup
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 T roasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the squash, persimmons, egg, clementine zest and juice, milk, honey, maple syrup, ginger, and salt in a blender and blend on medium speed until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
3. Pour the squash mixture into the prepared piecrust and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and pour enough water to reach within 1/4 inch of the pan’s rim.
4. Bake until the filling is set; it should not ripple when gently nudged, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool 1 to 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle the roasted pumpkin seeds on top and serve with whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup.
“Whether it’s a white tee or pie filling, I like to keep some things basic. Even though this recipe doesn’t include allspice, it still satisfies the season’s flavor cravings. The honeyed yet tart taste from farm-fresh apples shines through under a blanket of cinnamon and lemon juice. Slicing the apples paper-thin makes each slice feel light, which always inspires me and my family to go for second, third, and fifth helpings.”
—Brittany Bennett, founder and baker, Taartwork Pies
Ingredients: 4 Mutsu or Granny Smith apples
Juice of 1 lemon
3 T cinnamon
3 T sugar
Instructions: 1. Peel and slice the apples nearly paper-thin with a sharp knife or mandoline.
2. Toss in lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar until all apples are shimmering with sugar.
3. Arrange into piecrust and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 50 minutes.