Holiday Pies

Holiday Pies



My family isn't big on the traditional holiday fare. We'll occasionally have a turkey for Thanksgiving or a rib roast for Christmas, but that's the exception rather than the rule. In fact this year my mother likes the idea of having paella. If so we'll probably have a flan for dessert. But if a flan doesn't strike you as the best choice for a holiday dessert, here are a few other sweets you might consider.

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie: I got this recipe from the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook and it's one of the best sweet potato pies I've ever eaten — and I think it's far superior to pumpkin pie. The buttermilk adds a nice, subliminal tang to counteract and set off the sweetness. It's also quite light because the egg whites are whipped before being folded into the pie.

Pear/Raisin Pie: A few years back my Thanksgiving cooking tasks were squash soup, rolls, and dessert. The pears that year were exceptionally good, or perhaps I was just in an exceptionally pear frame of mind. But whichever it was I'd been eating a lot of them and as I considered desserts for Thanksgiving something involving pears was the first thing that popped into my mind. I found this recipe at Epicurious and it was distinctly odd — mainly because it looked like it would be good but I couldn't figure out what it would taste like just by reading the recipe. Orange marmalade and vanilla extract? I just had to give it a shot. It was great!

Pumpkin Pie with Rum: Some people insist on pumpkin pie, however much you try to convince them that sweet potato is a better idea. This recipe is one I developed a few years ago, although my original recipe wasn't perfect, the recipe listed here was tweaked to make up for the original's flaws — and I've made it to great success since that first attempt. The rum is really a nice addition and complements the pumpkin.

Dutch Apple Pie: It just occurred to me that I haven't made an apple pie this year and I do love apple pies. My favorite form is the Dutch Apple Pie with it's streusel top. I suspect that a Dutch apple pie isn't really Dutch, but instead was developed by the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch who were actually of German (Deutch) extraction. But whatever the origin, this version is excellent an includes my secret apple pie ingredient.

Buttermilk Pie with Lemon Mint Sauce: When I was researching buttermilk pie one of the blogs I ran across said that the vanilla-flavored version was more Southern while the lemon-flavored version was Northern. The lemon intrigued me because when I'd had it at Miss Bobo's I'd been vaguely reminded of Shaker Lemon Pie, but I figured I should go with the Southern style an use vanilla. Nevertheless, I couldn't get that added lemon bite out of my head, so I decided to make a lemon sauce as a topping.

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