Pies and Conversation for a Post-Election Thanksgiving

One of the reasons I'm so drawn to pie is because it demands social gathering. A pie is a communal dish, meant to be sliced and shared, while sitting around a table with family and friends-- old or newly-made. At its core, pie is a community catalyst, humble, (generally) homemade, a vehicle for love. It can be employed as such, not just on Thanksgiving, but in community dinners, potlucks, and church suppers throughout the year, throughout these four years, and beyond. In that spirit, here is the Nothing in the House annual Thanksgiving Pie Guide. This year, I'm leaning towards making a Cranberry Chess Pie, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, and a Katherine Hepburn Brownie Pie with Speculoos and Bourbon, but I'm going to make a game-time decision. If you don't find quite what you're looking for, check out the Recipe Index, as well as past guides from 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Pumpkin, Squash & Sweet Potato
Delicata Squash Pie
Drunken Pumpkin Bourbon Pie with Mascarpone Cream
One-Pie Pumpkin Pie
Sweet Potato Pie with Cornmeal Crust
Sweet Potato Sonker (pictured, bottom right)
Sweet Potato Speculoos Pie

Fall Fruits
Cranberry Chess Pie
Anna Gillen's Grape Pie (pictured, top right)
Pear Tarte Tatin
Persimmon Pie
Salted Butter Apple Galette

Chocolate & Nuts
Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie
Black Walnut Pie
Bourbon Ginger Pecan Pie
Cranberry Chocolate Chess Pie
Katherine Hepburn Brownie Pie (pictured, top left)
Pecan Pie with Brown Sugar

Custard & Cheese
Black Bottom Lemon Pie (pictured, bottom left)
Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie
Maple Bourbon Buttermilk Pie with Apple Syrup
Pumpkin-Ginger Cheesecake Pie
Salty Honey Pie

Savory
Beef Picadillo Pie with Mashed Potatoes
Pear, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Hand Pies 
Pimento Cheese and Tomato PiePuff Pastry Hand Pies with Goat Cheese & Hot Pepper Jelly 
Swiss Chard & Goat Cheese Galette

Pie for President!

Though we've made our personal presidential pick pretty clear, whatever your choice, make sure that you make one. Because voting is as American as apple pie.

"Speaking Pie To Power"

As a pie blogger and folklorist with personal, professional, and academic interest in food (particularly pie) -as-social-change, I would be remiss to not at least MENTION the pied Rupert Murdoch incident. In referencing the attack, my friend Nathan told me about his friend Audrey Watters, a historian/folklorist who studies the use of pies in political protest (a lady after my own heart!). Read her post/essay "Speaking Pie to Power" here.

I Made Two Pies... For Obama

The night before the election
With nerves running high
While my peeps worked the phone banks


I made these two pies:

The first is a pumpkin
Which was lacking in flavor
Not enough maple syrup
or spices to savor


The second looked sloppy
But tasted appley and sweet
An American classic
That like Obama, can't be beat.


We ate them together
On Tuesday night
We are all one people
One nation, that's right!

Obamastication: A President Who Loves Pie!

What a week for Americans--pie-loving and otherwise. There is much to say on this historic occasion, but we'll leave it to other publications, for this humble (get it?) blog is one with an eye on the pie. We asked Nothing-in-the-House readers and contributors to make and document their own Obama pies, and so far have had just 3 (and one is a cake) take us up on the offer. Send in those pres-pie-pics, folks, it's not too late!

Here is an Obama sweet potato pie I made on election night, in an attempt to keep my hands busy and think positive thoughts as I anxiously waited for the returns to come in. Here's the recipe I used:

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients
2 ounces butter, softened
2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (from Eastern Market)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
5 ounces (about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Nothing-in-the-House pie crust

Directions
1. Prepare Nothing-in-the-House pie crust as per the directions.

2. Mix butter, potatoes, sugar and evaporated milk until well blended. Add vanilla, eggs, and spices; mix well. Pour into the bottom crust. Top, and bake 45 min. in a 350° oven.


Though it was hard to resist, we eyed it nervously, anticipating the official announcement before we could have our pie and eat it too. When the west coast polls closed and CNN made their projection, we finally got a piece of the pie... and entered the Pie Enjoyment Zone with the rest of roaring D.C.

Over at APT, Ward was cooking up his first pies EVER for Obama volunteers at the Portland, Maine office. Here's some pics, and check out the whole story here.

And though it is cake, not pie, this is too good to not post. In Obama's home city of Chicago, Heather was baking this BEAUTIFUL Obama sunrise cake, and then headed over to Grant Park to share with Oprah, Jesse Jackson and the rest of the city.
Obama: A lot of people have been saying they can make sweet potato pie.
Us: Yes, we DID.

Announcing the Nothing-in-The-House Great Obama Sweet Potato Pie (Presidential) Contest!

 

Obama: "A lot of people have been saying they can make sweet potato pie"

At a recent rally in Philly, we learned that Obama LOVES pie (and loves saying the word 'pie'), especially sweet potato.

In celebration of this exciting news, the pie-lovers at Nothing-In-The-House are sponsoring the Great Obama Sweet Potato Pie (Presidential) Contest!

We encourage you to host an Obama Sweet Potato Pie Party in your respective city, sometime between now and the election! Bake a sweet potato pie (with an Obama crust design preferred!), eat some pie, and get out the vote by calling/knocking on voters' doors in your area (for lists of folks to call and ways to volunteer, check out the Obama website). You could also hold a bake sale for Obama! Take some pictures of your event, and we'll put together an Obama sweet potato pie collage on the pie blog.

And if you've got a sweet potato pie recipe that could rival Michelle Obama's mama's, please share it here!