© 2024 Baltimore Magazine

The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine.

Home November 2014 Food & Drink American Pie
Food & Drink

American Pie

How to make, where to buy, and what to sip with your Thanksgiving pie this year.

By Lydia Woolever | November 2014

This might sound sacrilegious but every Thanksgiving, the turkey’s in the oven, the sausages are on the grill, the potatoes are mashed, and I could care less. All I can think about is the pie.

Okay, maybe that’s a stretch: I'll definitely swing by the stuffing, but the pie.

That perfect, sweet slice of America. That simple, comforting taste of home. That warm, buttery, flakey crust, with a dollop of fresh, whipped cream.

It’s the coveted course in my house. It’s the daintily divvied, carefully allotted leftover for the rest of the long weekend. I love the way we all only take a sliver, even though we really want a cut as thick as cash. I love the way we suspiciously eye each other’s slices, either as a green light for seconds or to keep tabs on our late-night snack. It doesn’t matter if we’re full to the brim—we find room. And why not? Life’s too short. The only thing sacrilegious about dessert is skipping it.

Here, we’ve rounded up some holiday pie recipes (if you’re cooking at home), plus a list of where to buy them (if you’re not), and best of all, two easy, classic cocktails for you to sip on the side.

eat in

Courtesy of Ashley Roop, pastry chef for Foreman Wolf restaurant group.

Foreman Wolf’s Bourbon Pecan Pie


Crust: (makes one pie shell)

  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 4 oz. butter, cold, diced in ½-inch cubes
  • 3-4 Tbsp. ice water
  1. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt? Pulse until evenly combined
  2. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms pebble-size pieces.
  3. Add cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time while pulsing.
  4. Pulse until dough comes into a rough mass.
  5. On a floured surface, shape dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-24 hours.
    *If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter or your hands.

Filling:

  • 1/3 c. dark brown sugar
  • 2/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/3 c. buckwheat honey*
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 lrg. eggs
  • 1 lrg. egg yolk
  • 3 Tbsp. bourbon
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 c. pecan halves
  • 1/2 orange, zested
  • *Can substitute other dark honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup.
    1. Roll dough out on a large, flat, lightly floured surface.
    2. Fit dough into 9-inch pie pan, crimp edges, and chill till ready.
    3. In a bowl, whisk together sugars, flour, and salt.
    4. Mix in honey eggs, egg yolk, bourbon, vanilla extract, melted butter, and zest, then store in refrigerator until ready.
    5. Arrange pecans in an even layer in the unbaked pie shell. Pour cooled mix over pecans.
    6. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.
    7. Turn oven down to 350°F and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until puffed in the middle.
    8. Let cool at room temperature for several hours before cutting.

Courtesy of Rodney Henry, founder of Dangerously Delicious Pies

Dangerously Delicious Pies’ Sweet Potato Pie


Crust: (makes two pie shells)

  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. vegetable shortening
  • 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/2 c. water
  1. Mix dry ingredients together.
  2. Add shortening and water, then knead until it forms a soft dough.
  3. Roll out dough and add to a 10” pie pan. Crimp edges.

Filling:

  • 1 lb. sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 2 lrg. eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Dash of salt
  1. Bake whole sweet potatoes on cookie sheet at 350°F for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until fork-tender.
  2. Let cool for about 30 minutes, and then remove the skins.
  3. Mash potatoes until smooth.
  4. Whisk in remainder of ingredients and pour into pie shell.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Courtesy of Angie Law, pastry chef at Cunningham's Café

Cunningham Café’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie


Crust: (makes one pie shell)

  • 8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 oz. granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 lrg. egg
  • 12 oz. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  1. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.
  2. Mix in the vanilla, then the egg, then the flour and salt, until dough comes together.
  3. Gently knead dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a round patty, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 4 hours.
  4. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness.
  5. Lightly grease the tart pan with pan spray.
  6. Transfer the dough to pan then gently press it to the edges of the pan..
  7. Run a knife along the pan’s edge to trim off excess dough.
  8. Place the tart shell in the freezer.
  9. Bake the tart shell at 375°F for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Filling:

  • 2 Tbsp. rum
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 2 tsp. powdered gelatin
  • 15 oz. pumpkin puree
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 lrg. orange, zested
    • 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
  1. Combine water and rum in a microwave safe bowl, then sprinkle in gelatin and allow to hydrate.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and zest.
  3. Microwave gelatin mix in 30-second bursts, stirring frequently until its melted and clear.
  4. Immediately whisk the hot gelatin into the pumpkin mixture.
  5. Using an electric mixer, whisk the heavy cream to soft peaks.
  6. Fold heavy cream into pumpkin mixture.
  7. Immediately pour into baked tart shell.
  8. Chill for 6-8 hours before serving.
drink up

Courtesy of Aaron Joseph, lead bartender at Wit & Wisdom

Stinger


Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz. aged rum
  • 1/2 oz. crème de menthe
  • 1/4 oz. orgeat syrup

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass.
  2. Add ice and stir for 20 seconds.
  3. Strain and pour into a double old fashion glass filled with crushed ice.
  4. Garnish with mint and orange peel.

Hot Toddy


Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. Spice Tree Scotch
  • 1/2 oz. lemon juice
  • 1 oz. Earl Grey honey syrup (1/2 oz. Twinings Earl Grey loose leaf tea + 1/2 oz. honey)
  • 4 oz. hot water

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass and stir.
  2. Garnish with lemon peel.
carry out

Atwater’s
Multiple locations and phone numbers. atwaters.biz.

Order by 11/23. $24-28.

Seven pies including classics, plus apple cranberry, apple ginger, and pumpkin cheesecake.

Bel Air Bakery
140 N. Band St., Bel Air. 410-838-6455. belairbakery.com.

Order by 11/26. $14-17.

32 pies including classics plus mince meat, peanut butter, and caramel apple walnut.

Cunningham’s Café
1 Olympic Pl., Towson. 410-339-7730. cunninghamtowson.com.

Order by 11/23. In-store first come, first serve. $28-32.

Cranberry lemon meringue, pumpkin chiffon, and chocolate bourbon pecan.

Dangerously Delicious Pies
2839 O’Donnell St. 410-522-7437. dangerouspiesbalt.com.

Order by 11/20. $28-35.

26 pies including classics, sweet, and savory plus marrionberry, banana cream, Mobtown Brown (pecan with Swiss chocolate and caramel sauce), and Baltimore Bomb (vanilla chess with Berger cookies).

Dooby’s
802 N. Charles St. 410-702-5144. doobyscoffee.com.

Order by 11/21. In-store first come, first serve. $21-25.

“Damn Good Pie,” pumpkin, and apple-rosemary galette with bourbon-soaked raisins.

Johnny's
4800 Roland Ave. 410-773-0777. johnnysdownstairs.com.

Order by 11/21. $28.

Market spiced apple pie with oat streusel; pecan, bourbon, and local buckwheat honey pie; local fairytale pumpkin pie.

KoDee Cakes
822 W. 36 th St. 410-243-0167. kodeecakes.com.

Order by 11/24. $15-25.

Pumpkin latte, ginger sweet potato, orange cocoa, eggnog cream, and salted caramel, etc.

La Cakerie
49 W. Chesapeake Ave., Towson. 443-504-7925. lacakerie.com.

Order by 11/24. $11-22.

Classics including pumpkin, bourbon pecan, apple, and blueberry.

Petit Louis Bistro
10215 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. 410-964-9999. petitlouis.com.

Order by 11/21. $28.

Market spiced apple pie with oat streusel; pecan, bourbon, and local buckwheat honey pie; local fairytale pumpkin pie.

Sweet 27
123 W. 27th St. 410-464-7211. sweet27.com.

Order by 11/23. $18-21.

Pecan, vegan apple streusel, and pumpkin.

Sweet Heart Patisserie
1410 Forest Dr., Annapolis. 410-263-6513. sweetheartpatisserie.com.

Order by 11/22. $28-34.

Maple walnut pumpkin, bourbon pecan tart, and baked apple tart.