Preperations for Pie Day
No, I do not call Thanksgiving “Pie Day.” Nor do I call it “Turkey Day” – at least not any more. Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, however, is Pie Day. This will not be due to the consumption of pie, but to the baking of pie.
Seeing as I’ve decided to take Wednesday off of work, this week is kind of bizarre. Yesterday was Monday. Today may as well be Friday. As such, I’m having a hard time concentrating. So between yawns and spurts of productivity, I’ve been planning for tomorrow.
Two Thanksgivings ago, there was a miscommunication. I volunteered to make pies to bring up to Mike’s family’s Thanksgiving (my first major holiday with his family). I was told that six pies would be required as the family is full of big pie fans, but that the apple pie was already being taken care of. My brain translated that into “make five pies.” The actual request was “make one pie and we’ll get four other people to each make one pie.” Quick math will tell you that ten pies were at Thanksgiving that year. Quick math would be wrong, as I was not the only person to oversupply the pies. In fact, there were fourteen pies. And fourteen people to eat them.
Last Thanksgiving, the families were alternated, and Mike and I were with my family. Somehow, this information did not get disseminated amongst Mike’s family. My pies were so popular the previous year that everyone just assumed I’d be bringing pies. I was three hours and two states away with my two pies (much better communication amongst the pie-bringers of my family). Mike’s poor family ended up buying the last pie at the supermarket – an apparently flavorless custard pie. No one ate it. Everyone is still bitter.
As alternating goes, this year we’re going back to Mike’s family. So I am once again responsible for pie. Much discussion has occurred and I am fairly certain this time that the apple is taken care of but no others will be there. As such, I will be bringing five pies. And I’m nervous that it won’t be enough pie. These people really love pie.
My pies have been a popular staple of Thanksgivings spanning along the northern east coast for a few years now. I make my crusts from scratch, and I go heavy on the sugar and spice (and everything nice). People love buttery pie crusts and sugary fillings apparently. I find it hilarious, however, that the most complemented pie is in fact the pumpkin pie I make by following the recipe on the back of the One-Pie can. Shhhh… don’t tell!
This year, in addition to “my” famous pumpkin, I will be toting along pecan, banana cream, chocolate cream, and a cranberry-pear-apple concoction. Only one of them has a top crust, but almost all of them (excepting the two pudding pies) have completely different preparation routines. As such, the event from crust manufacture through baking and cooling will take approximately five hours. I love baking and am therefore extremely excited.
The current plan of action is to wake up early and after showering, make up three batches of pie dough (producing six crusts). During the chilling of the dough discs, I will start up my laundry and maybe even clean up some of the house (shocker!). I will then blind bake three crusts – one for each cream pie and one for the pecan. While these bake, I’ll make up the pecan filling, which will go into one of the crusts after blind baking has completed. While this pie finishes its baking procedure and the pudding pie crusts cool, I will move the laundry along and maybe rest a little bit.
Once the pecan is finished and cooling, I will move onto the construction of the cranappear and pumpkin pies. Both of these pies require a two-stage baking process, which thankfully requires the same temperatures. By this point, I am hoping that Kate comes by (she is taking a half day from work). We will simultaneously shape and fill these two pies, and I will get to use my new gadget (actually a Christmas present from last year) which should make a pretty lattice for the covered pie and some neat decorations for the top of the pumpkin. More baking, finishing of laundry, perhaps a second shower, resting, and cooling of pies. By this point, Mike will hopefully be home and we will take off for the New Hampshire non-wilderness.
Why am I telling you all this? Probably because I want to make sure the plan makes sense. Writing it out makes me feel better about it. I’m pretty confident now that I’ll be able to accomplish the pie baking marathon of Pie Day with little difficulty. Now, the only thing I need to do is remember to stop at the grocery store to get the ingredients today.
[Editor's Note: Dinane will be away Thanksgivinging for the remainder of the week and weekend. You can expect posting to resume on or around the 28th.]