This post was originally published on November 10, 2011.
Life is unpredictable, but Thanksgiving is not and it is 2 weeks away! Is the exclamation point there to emphasize panic or joy? I’m excited! I’ve been teaching quite a few Thanksgiving-themed classes as of late and I’m feeling spirited. Don’t let these Thursday posts stress you out. The whole point is to show you what you can do in advance, not what you must do in advance. All these tips and strategies are most relevant to the hosts and hostesses who are preparing most or all of the meal themselves and who have a busy schedule leading up to the holiday. If I didn’t get a lot of these tasks completed early, I don’t see how I could pull off this meal without tons of stress.
I’m so thrilled so many of you are happy with the Thanksgiving ebook! Thank you for sharing all of your feedback. For those of you on the fence, if you are planning ANY large holiday gathering or meal with many components, this ebook will be the best $15 you have ever spent! Click here to get your ebook. 🙂
Join me on Instagram this Monday, November 12th at 5:00 pm PST/8:00 pm EST when I will be LIVE answering your questions about planning for Thanksgiving. Think of it as a Thanksgiving hotline!
I bake way too many pies on Thanksgiving – 2 pumpkin, 2 pecan and 2 apple. Plus I usually make 1 non-pie dessert. I do this because pies are my favorite thing to make for the holiday. I am trying to simplify my menu this year, but I can’t bring myself to bake fewer pies. In fact, in the last couple of years, I have expanded the apple pie selection to include this apple crumb pie, as well as the classic.
I adore apple desserts in the fall when the fruit is in season. There are so many wonderful varietals of apples, from tart to sweet and everything in between. And I love using several different types of apples in pies and applesauce for a more interesting flavor profile.
I taught this pie last year in my classes as an alternative to the typical double crust pie. A crumb topping is much easier to work with. There’s no crimping of the top crust, no pressure to create a Pinterest-worthy work of art with the dough, no rolling – it’s almost foolproof, but still looks very impressive. The downside is that we’re adding a bit more sugar in a crumb topping than in a pie crust. But the crumble topping has wonderful texture and flavor. This pie is very easy to make look good even if the bottom crust doesn’t look great (i.e. if you have a vegan or gluten-free situation happening.)
Photo by Devon Francis
I have actually successfully frozen this pie, defrosted it and reheated it with success. It’s certainly worth a try if you can’t manage to pull off your own great Thanksgiving pie bake-off the night before Thanksgiving. This recipe can also be adapted to many different types of fruits. Just ask yourself what would taste good as a fruit crisp, and it would be great as a crumble pie.
If you are interested in making your own pie from scratch, I’ll be doing an Instagram Live with my friend and cupcake queen, Candace Nelson, next Thursday, November 15th at 2:30 pm PST/5:30 pm EST. Come join us and bring your pie-making questions!
For ALL my Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips, check out my new Thanksgiving eBook!
I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out!
Click here to learn more about my online cooking classes and my cookbook!
Shop the tools for this recipe by clicking on the images below:
Roll pie dough* out on a lightly floured countertop, regularly checking to make sure disk is not sticking to counter. Roll into a 12-inch round. Fit pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp or flute the edges as desired. An easy thing to do is to press the crust with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel, core and slice apples crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Transfer to a large bowl and mix with soaked dried cherries, cherry preserves, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg <g class="gr_ gr_95 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="95" data-gr-id="95">and</g> salt. Combine well. Arrange apple mixture in pie shell and dot with butter.
Make the walnut crumble: stir together the walnuts, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter in a medium bowl. Top the pie with small handfuls of the crumble, covering everything evenly.
Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking until the crumble is golden and the juices are bubbling around the edges and have thickened, about 50 minutes more. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for an hour before serving. Pie can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
This creamy corn pudding is the LAST recipe I ever thought I would fall for. Whenever I load up my plate on Thanksgiving (or any meal for that matter), I go for color, freshness, non-starchy vegetables. If I eat something creamy, it’s likely risotto, or a cashew-based dressing, or ice cream LOL. But I can’t teach salads and vegetables every Thanksgiving because that’s not what my peeps want. I know most of you are looking for comfort food, traditional ingredients, and starch. Yes, starch.Continue reading
This post has been edited from the original, which was published on October 27, 2011.
Can you believe what today is? It is the beginning of the countdown!! Thanksgiving is 4 weeks from today! No need to panic, friends. We’re going to have some fun over the next month! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the traditions, the food, the Macy’s parade on television while I am making my pies, the football games. I love moving the family room furniture after the last football game is over to extend the dining room table. I love hearing everyone share why he or she is grateful. I have cooked every Thanksgiving for the last 23 years, as well as over 100 Thanksgiving-themed cooking classes. I have made lots of mistakes and in the process learned a thing or two about how to execute and enjoy a very happy Thanksgiving. The key is being organized. Every Thursday from today until the big day, I will share my best tips, strategies and a few good recipes to set you up for a successful holiday. This week I taped a great episode on The Rachael Ray Show about what you can do several weeks before Thanksgiving. I believe that will air on November 5th, but I’ll let you know for sure.
My Thanksgiving ebook is now available! This PDF contains all my Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks, in one document! You will have everything you need to plan and execute your best Thanksgiving ever. Click here to access the Thanksgiving ebook. Also, if you take my online cooking classes, the recipes will be the ones I am also teaching in my in-person cooking classes and those recipes will not be in the ebook. The online class will be taped next week and be available the week of November 5th – plenty of time for you to decide what you might include on your menu!
Last pumpkin recipe until next October – I swear! Â In reality, I made and shot this recipe last winter, but I felt that my readers wouldn’t find a baked pumpkin oatmeal as appealing in January as they would in October. Â The truth is, I eat pumpkin all year long. Â I love pumpkin pancakes, oatmeal, muffins, bread, smoothies and smoothie bowls, cake (coming to my classes next month!), cookies, soup, and “truffles.” Â Although I much prefer to bring home a sugar pie pumpkin from the market and roast it for homemade pumpkin puree, it’s easy to find organic pumpkin in BPA-free containers all year.Continue reading
Something that gives me a strangely satisfying feeling is when I am efficient with my food. I looooove finishing a bag of something or avoiding throwing something away because I was able to use it creatively. I came up with this recipe last year to use up a small amount of pumpkin puree that was languishing in the fridge. I usually use up small bits of pumpkin in smoothies, oatmeal, or pancakes or waffles. But I am pretty obsessed with Bliss Balls (aka energy balls) and I knew I could probably make a pumpkin version.Continue reading
I grew up with very limited exposure to flavor profiles outside of Italian food and “American” food, e.g. burgers and hot dogs. I was very interested in learning more, but we didn’t eat out much and I didn’t have too many resources for recipes. We had a lot of variety in pasta shapes and diversity in pasta sauces though! I don’t know when I was exposed to Persian food, but I think it was well after I had moved to LA in my early 20’s. It quickly became one of my favorite cuisines. I just love the herbs, spices, the color and beauty of the dishes. And I am crazy for rice! Once, a Persian friend invited us over for dinner and she made at least two rice dishes, but with enough for 4 times as many people and so, so delicious. I’ve always wanted someone to teach me how to make Persian food, and finally my prayers were answered.Continue reading
When I was at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago and spotted the first pumpkins of the season, I felt conflicted. Â Why rush it? Â I feel like school has barely gotten going. Â To me, pumpkins signify Halloween, which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we all know what comes after that! Â I can’t deal. Â So I am drawing the line at decorating my front yard with pumpkins, and instead embracing pumpkin bread, pumpkin swirl bars, pumpkin stew and, of course, the pumpkin spice latte. Â Sort of.Continue reading
