An eye for a pie

Since I can't find any of the snaps I've taken of my previous pies, here's a bit of calm before the storm. This photo was taken a few weeks ago on Rainier Vista Way on the University of Washington campus.

Anyway, today is the final chapter of my Thanksgiving treats trilogy. Last but not least, the pie. This year I'm making pumpkin and pecan pies. Pecan pies were never part of my family's traditional table, but my husband's family always had them (with bourbon whipped cream, no less), so I've adopted the sticky, tasty tradition. The recipe comes from Mark Bittman's tome How to Cook Everything, which is an excellent resource for basic and fancy recipes alike. It's custard-based rather than corn-syrup based, so it's decadently sweet rather than teeth charringly sucrose-y. The pumpkin pie will be a new recipe this year, from Maida Heatter's Pies and Tarts. The recipe calls for an interesting array of spices, including black pepper and mace but no cinnamon! In past years, I've made Martha Stewart's Maple Pumpkin Pie, which is also quite good. And to think, when I was growing up, we always just made the recipe from the back of the can of pumpkin - which was always verrrry tasty itself. I've come to the conclusion that it's nearly impossible to mess up pumpkin pie. Okay, time to start the preparations. I'm sorry that none of these recipes are available online - but I'm sure these books are available either at your library or local bookshop. Cold comfort, indeed! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!