GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Thanksgiving isn't just about turkey! Pie is big part of the day. But are you team sweet potato or pumpkin pie?
No matter what your favorite flavor is, Chef Char Morse has you covered! She shared her recipe for the perfect pie crust -- buttery and flaky in all the right places, as well as recipes for pumpkin pie filling and sweet potato pie filling.
Chef Char’s Flaky, Buttery Pie Crust
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into Tablespoon chunks and frozen
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk
1 Tbls pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Cut butter into Tablespoon-size chunks and place in freezer for 20 minutes or until butter is very cold and hard. Place frozen butter cubes into a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, sugar, salt, buttermilk and vanilla. Using the dough hook on an electric mixer, stir the dough ingredients on low. Once the ingredients start to come together, turn up the speed on the mixer to medium and continue mixing until it forms a ball. Remove ball of dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic or place in a plastic bag, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. This recipe will make 2 bottom crusts for 2 open pies or one bottom crust and one top crust for one double-crust pie.
To make a pie, cut the ball of dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large enough circle to completely cover the bottom of a pie pan. Place bottom crust in pie pan. Repeat with second bottom crust Fill with pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie fillings, as listed below.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Ingredients:
29 oz. can pumpkin puree
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 Tbls pure vanilla extract
2 (12 oz.) cans evaporated milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix ingredients together and pour into two 10” bottom shells. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 and then turn oven down to 325 degrees F and bake for 20-25 minutes, until filling is firm. Cool pie on a rack to room temperature and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Optional: Garnish with whipping cream and dust with cinnamon and sugar.
Sweet Potato Pie Filling
Ingredients:
3 cups puréed roasted sweet potato
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 Tbls pure vanilla extract
3 cups heavy whipping cream, lightly whipped to incorporate some air into pie.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix ingredients together and pour into two 10” bottom shells. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 and then turn oven down to 325 degrees F and bake for 20-25 minutes, until filling is firm. Cool pie on a rack to room temperature and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Optional: Garnish with whipping cream and dust with cinnamon and sugar.
Take a class with Chef Char in Kitchen 242 at the Muskegon Farmers Market in downtown Muskegon. Tickets to classes are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/d/mi--muskegon/chef-char-morse/
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.