For kids, as easy as pie
The days before Thanksgiving are calibrated by shopping lists and baking times, a checklist universe clicking down to a shared meal of thanks and camaraderie. And if your universe is populated with children, that checklist becomes even more important -- especially if you’re taking your feast on the road.
Deciding on a portable course that involves the under-12 demographic is pretty easy: dessert. A selection of homey pies will involve them in the preparation and hold their attention -- both in the baking process and during feast-time, as the kids can take charge of serving the meal’s finale. (Let’s play restaurant!)
Kids and pies
Pies are fun, easy to make, feature seasonal ingredients and are as much a Thanksgiving sine qua non as the turkey. You can also make them the day before, a crucial element to feast-planning -- especially if your nascent pastry chefs need breaks for meals, play, bedtime.
As pie is to the dinner menu, so the crust is to a good pie. This is my perfect pie crust recipe, lifted from cookbook author Deborah Madison and suitable for pretty much any filling. You can stick to the basic recipe, or substitute whole-wheat flour for some of the all-purpose, add grated lemon or orange zest to the dough, or a teaspoon of cinnamon or other spice, depending on what’s ending up inside.
Have your kids help with the mixing and the rolling; just be sure to refrigerate after mixing and again after rolling out the pie shell.
These built-in increments of time are actually very useful, as you can pace yourself and your helpers. Fill in the gaps with lunch for them, coffee for you, assembling the various fillings and making the garnishes -- and with a bit of pie decorating.
Divide the dough into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. After the dough has chilled, roll out the larger piece, line a 9-inch pie plate with it and return it to the refrigerator. The second bit of dough -- which will form the top crust -- is where things get interesting.
Roll out (or have your helpers roll out) the dough, then take a cookie cutter or a kid-friendly knife and cut out leaves or apples or dots, whatever your kids decide. My kids, with Halloween jack-o’-lanterns still in their minds, cut out the top crust in the shape of a pumpkin, then used the bits of dough to form eyes, a nose, a mouth.
If you want to get fancy, roll out the top crust, cut it to fit and use the scraps to form leaves and berries, even a pear. Put the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate (with the pie shell) while you start on the fillings.
A classic pumpkin pie is standard, but if you’re on pie duty, you can think out of the box -- or pie plate -- a little too.
Mix ripe pear slices with a handful of blackberries. Use frozen blackberries this time of year, as they’re available, cheaper and actually cook up better than fresh -- they won’t break apart when you stir them in with the other ingredients.
Add some lemon zest, a dash of cardamom, and an unexpected grind of black pepper for an interesting spin that brings out the qualities of the fruit.
While the oven is heating, put a sauce pan of more frozen blackberries and a small amount of sugar on the stove to thaw. When they’ve thawed out, press the berries and their juices through a fine mesh sieve, add some lemon juice and check for sweetness and you have a fantastic, easy blackberry sauce to go with the pie.
Dots and swirls
If you have a plastic squeeze bottle, pour the sauce into it. This is a great way to store sauces, and a fantastic way to serve them as well. Just shake up the bottle when you’re ready and squeeze a big dot of sauce onto a plate next to a slice of pie. Or let the kids make dots or squiggles -- it’s pastry chef training without the mess.
Or make an apple pie, laced with spices. Apples are top-notch right now, with market stalls and produce aisles loaded with Galas and Pink Ladies, Winesaps and even Arkansas Blacks if you’re lucky. The kids can munch on extra slices while they help fill the pie shells.
For a Thanksgiving spin, try topping the apples with a layer of dried cranberries that have been macerated in orange juice and cider, and torqued with vanilla and fresh ginger.
After the oven’s ready and the crust and decorations have chilled, load the pie with its filling (dot the top with butter) and brush the rim of the bottom crust with egg wash. Lift the upper crust from the parchment and place it on top. Crimp the chilled dough any way you want -- forked, fluted, waved -- then add the decorations, brushing with egg wash to keep them in place. Brush the crust with more egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake.
While the pies are in the oven and the aroma of fruit and spice is filling the house, make a quick pecan brittle on the stove -- it’s a great garnish for the apple-cranberry pie. Or you can sprinkle it on ice cream for anyone -- gasp -- who might not want pie (add some of the blackberry sauce too).
Cook sugar in a clean, metal saucepan, until it turns golden brown -- this is a beautiful chemistry experiment, although one kids should watch from afar while the sugar’s still hot -- then stir in pecans. Spread the candy out on buttered parchment; it will cool in minutes, then keep nicely in a sealed plastic bag.
With all this done in advance, on Thanksgiving you only need to pack the car and corral the family. Along with the pies, sauce and brittle, bring some whipping cream and an immersion blender if you have one (a whisk will do too), for a bowl of last-minute chantilly cream.
Then, after the guests are gathered, the turkey carved, the meal enjoyed -- course by course, platter by platter, generation by generation -- send the kids around with a pad of paper and a ready pen to take dessert orders.
A delicious piece of pie, garnished and served with a dramatic flourish by your young staff, can provide a moment of true thanksgiving.
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Pear-blackberry pie
Total time: 2 hours, plus chilling time
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: The crust recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison’s “Local Flavors.” This recipe uses a standard 9-inch pie plate.
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, divided
Zest of 2 lemons, divided
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons cold butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup quick-cooking, small-pearl tapioca
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 cups peeled, cored and sliced pears (4 to 5 pears)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups frozen blackberries
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar for dusting
1. Place the flour, one-half teaspoon salt and the zest of one lemon in a food processor and pulse to combine. Cut three-fourths cup (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into 1-inch cubes and add to the flour. Pulse to break up. Whisk together the vinegar and egg yolk in a measuring cup with enough ice-cold water to bring the volume up to one-half cup. While pulsing, add the liquid in a steady stream until the flour looks crumbly and damp (be careful that the dough does not overmix and form a ball). The crumbs should adhere when you press them together. Turn out the dough onto plastic wrap and press into 1 disk. Wrap tightly in the plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a large round no thicker than one-eighth inch and about 15 inches in diameter. Drape the dough over the pie plate. Trim the dough to about 2 inches from the rim of the pie plate, saving the trimmings for decoration. Roll up the dough to form a thick crust around the rim of the plate, and crimp the crust to form a zig-zag design. Take the trimmings (ball up the dough and roll it out again if necessary) and cut out about 5 big leaves (or other shapes, such as a pear). Place the leaves on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and, using the flat side of a knife, press veins into the leaves for decoration. Use the remaining dough to make decorative balls for the top of the pie: roll 6 to 8 larger balls the size of small marbles to dot the center over the filling, and about a dozen slightly smaller balls to garnish the rim of the pie along the crust (moisten the smaller balls with a little water so they adhere to the crust). Refrigerate both the pie shell and the decorative dough shapes until ready to fill.
3. In a large bowl, toss the remaining lemon zest, one-half cup sugar, the brown sugar, tapioca, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg and remaining one-eighth teaspoon salt to combine. Toss in the pears and lemon juice, then gently fold in the frozen blackberries just until combined.
4. Fill the chilled pie shell with the pear-blackberry mixture, dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then position the dough leaves around the center of the pie and dot the center with the larger balls. (Or decorate how you like.) Refrigerate the pie, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white with the 1 tablespoon water to form an egg wash. Brush both the decorations and crust with egg wash, then sprinkle the decorations with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Put the pie into the center of a hot oven, placing a cookie sheet on the rack underneath. Bake for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 and bake for about 45 minutes longer, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. Cool on a rack.
Each of 8 servings: 444 calories; 2 grams protein; 60 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 24 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 87 mg. cholesterol; 237 mg. sodium.
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Apple-cranberry pie
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, plus chilling time
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: The crust recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison’s “Local Flavors.” This recipe calls for a standard 9-inch pie plate.
8 cups thinly sliced ( 1/8 inch), peeled and cored apples (7 to 8 apples), such as Gala, Granny Smith or Braeburn
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/4 cups flour
Zest from 2 oranges, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 egg, separated
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, split
Slice of fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup quick-cooking, small-pearl tapioca
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
1. In a large bowl, gently toss the apples with the lemon juice. Stir in the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and cinnamon and set aside.
2. Place the flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and zest of one orange in a food processor and pulse to combine. Cut three-fourths cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter into 1-inch cubes and add to the flour. Pulse to break up the butter. Whisk together the vinegar and egg yolk in a measuring cup with enough ice-cold water to bring the volume up to one-half cup. While pulsing, add the liquid in a steady stream until the flour looks crumbly and damp (be careful that the dough does not overmix and form a ball). The crumbs should adhere when you press them together. Turn out the dough onto plastic wrap and press into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. In a small saucepan, place the cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, remaining orange zest, vanilla bean and its scraped seeds, ginger, allspice and cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
4. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, then stir in the apple mixture. Simmer the apples for about 5 minutes until they are crisp-tender. Remove from heat and stir in the tapioca. Cool to room temperature.
5. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger disk of dough into a circle no thicker than one-eighth inch and about 13 inches in diameter. Drape the dough over the pie plate. Roll out the second disk to a circle about 11 inches in diameter and place it on a piece of parchment on top of a cookie sheet. Using a cookie cutter or a paring knife or the base of a pastry tip, punch out decorative shapes in the dough: Cut leaves or berries, or let your kids make a big smiley face. Refrigerate each disc of dough for 20 minutes.
6. Fill the bottom of the chilled pie crust with the apple mixture. Remove the ginger piece and the vanilla bean from the cranberry mixture and spoon that mixture over top of the apples. Dot the top of the mixture with the remaining butter.
7. Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water to form an egg wash and brush the edges of the pie shell with the wash. Carefully lift the layer of cutout dough from the parchment paper and cover the filled pie with it, pressing the edges down to seal. Crimp the edges of the dough into triangles or as desired. Refrigerate the pie, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
8. Lightly brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar. Place the pie on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and set. Check and rotate the pie as it bakes for even coloring. Remove and cool on a rack.
Each of 8 servings: 638 calories; 5 grams protein; 104 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 24 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 87 mg. cholesterol; 310 mg. sodium.
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Blackberry sauce
Total time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes macerating time for the berries
Servings: Makes about 2 cups
Note: Frozen berries are not only less-expensive than fresh berries, but when thawed they can be pressed more easily through a strainer than can fresh. You can substitute other berries in this recipe, such as raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. The sauce can be prepared up to 5 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly wrapped, in a non-reactive container.
4 cups frozen blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Place the frozen berries and sugar in a medium saucepan on the stove top (the heat from the pilot should be enough to warm the berries) and let them thaw and macerate for at least 30 minutes, maybe more.
2. When the berries are completely thawed, press the berries through a strainer into a bowl, saving the puree and juice to make the sauce (discard the seeds and solids).
3. Stir in the lemon juice, cover and refrigerate until needed. The sauce will keep refrigerated for 1 week.
Each one-fourth cup serving: 73 calories; 1 gram protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 1 mg. sodium.
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Pecan brittle
Total time: 25 minutes, plus cooling time
Servings: Makes about 2 cups
Note: Adapted from Alice Medrich’s “Pure Dessert.” The brittle can be prepared up to one day ahead and stored at room temperature in a sealable plastic bag.
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole pecans
1. Set near the stove a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that’s been greased with butter for the finished brittle and a white plate to use in judging the color of the caramel .
2. Mix the sugar and salt and spread it in the bottom of a large, stainless steel skillet. Set the pan over medium-high heat without stirring until the sugar begins to melt into a clear syrup around the edges. Turn the heat down to medium and continue melting the sugar without stirring -- shake the pan to redistribute it -- for as long as the syrup remains clear. When the syrup begins to color, stir it with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, mixing until the sugar is melted and evenly colored. Drop a bead of syrup on the white plate to judge the color accurately: It should be a reddish amber.
3. Add the nuts and stir gently to coat with the syrup. Immediately scrape the contents of the pan onto the buttered parchment and spread the mixture out as thinly as you can. (Do not touch the hot caramel!)
4. While the brittle is warm, slide the buttered parchment into a sealable plastic bag and seal until needed. After cooling, break or chop the brittle as desired and return the pieces to the sealed bag to prevent the brittle from becoming sticky.
Each one-fourth cup serving:
237 calories; 2 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 72 mg. sodium.
