Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thanksgiving or Me oh my, I love pie!

Today is Thanksgiving in our house! I made the cranberry sauce* a couple of days ago, I farmed out the side dishes, ordered the turkey from the fancy-pants grocery store, so all I had to do today (other than tidy, ahem) is bake PIE!


On the menu is sweet potato buttermilk pie and chocolate pecan pie. Yes, with homemade crusts. A small amount of nail-biting might have been involved during pre-baking. It's been a while since I've made pie. But oh! Me oh my, I love pie!

My house smells heavenly. The sweet potato pie baked first, and it is cooling as I type. The pecan pie is in the oven. I followed Emeril's recipe because I'm missing New Orleans, but I omitted the bourbon because we're not actually in New Orleans and kids will be eating this. I'm particularly excited about the layer of ganache that will be spread on top. I may or may not have dipped a spoon (or three) into the chocolate sauce that is waiting. One must be sure it will taste delicious, not so?

Yesterday, I stocked up on wine for the dinner. I didn't really know what kind of wine to buy. Turkey isn't very commonly eaten here, so suggestions were minimal. Ultimately, I bought four bottles each of riesling, sav blanc and chardonnay. I may have gone slightly overboard...


*In case you think cranberry sauce is only available as a scary, gelatinous substance from a can, I'm here to tell you that real cranberry sauce is not only amazingly delicious but also easy to make! The basic recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray cranberries bag is a winner, but you can find some reliable variations here. This year, mine is more of an elegant cranberry sauce reduction since I accidentally left it simmering away while I put the girls to bed and fell asleep myself (oops), but Hubby enthusiastically assures me that it tastes fabulous anyway.

1 comment: