Ask A Philadelphia Expert: Your Top Thanksgiving Pie Recipe

While the turkey is typically the star of Thanksgiving dinner, the pies are the grand finale. Impress your guests this holiday by baking a homemade pie. Below, Philadelphia bakers share a few recipes for amazing pies that your family will be sure to love.

Kerry Burns
Town Crier Bakery
29 Peddler's Lane
Lahaska, PA 18931
(215) 794-9910
www.towncrierbakery.com

Kerry Burns owns Town Crier Bakery with his wife, Roseann. His love for baking began in the early 80s when we worked at a small local bakery as a pan washer. He knew he wanted to someday own his own place, and he achieved that in 2007, when this husband-and-wife team took over the old-fashioned bakery in Peddler's Village. Kerry and Roseann will be leaving Peddler's Village at the end of 2014, but they are excited about their new business venture in Montgomery County. The new Town Crier location promises to maintain the same commitment to quality baked goods, affordable prices and excellent customer service that their patrons have come to expect.

Pumpkin Pie

• 10 oz. Libby's pumpkin pie mix
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 large eggs
• 2-2/3 cups evaporated milk
• Your favorite pie dough (or store brand pie shell)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin pie mix, white and brown sugar, salt and spices. Mix on medium speed until smooth.
2. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed, while slowly adding the evaporated milk.
3. Scrape the bowl again and mix on low for 2 more minutes.
4. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for approximately 3 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Fill pie shell to top edge and bake on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until golden brown and the center is firm.
8. Cool and serve.

Related: Top Bakeries In Philadelphia

Karen Boyd Rohde
Bredenbeck's Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor
8126 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 247-7374
www.bredenbecks.com

Bredenbeck's Bakery has been serving the Philadelphia area since 1889. The Bredenbeck family handed the business over to Walter and Otto Haug in 1954. The two were longtime employees of the Northeast Philly location. In 1983, Karen Boyd Rodhe (Walter's daughter) opened the Chestnut Hill Bredenbeck's. After growing up above her father and grandfather's bakery, she had a wealth of knowledge (and recipes!) to start out. As time went on, she learned about her customers in Chestnut Hill – their favorite chocolate and her family recipes that received the most praise, as well as those that needed tweaking. Bredenbeck's received the U.S. Small Business Administration's Family-Owned Business of the Year award in 2012, has baked cakes for celebrities like Bon Jovi and Elton John and is a Philadelphia-area wedding cake favorite. But the greatest reward of all is knowing that visitors come to Bredenbeck's to treat themselves to tasty, affordable desserts.

Sweet Potato Pie

9-inch Graham Cracker Shell:

• 1-1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup of toasted pecans

Sweet Potato Filling:

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 7-1/2 teaspoons milk powder
• 1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 pounds 4 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham crackers, sugar and pecans.
3. Slowly add the melted butter, mixing to combine.
4. Press the graham cracker mixture into a pie pan to make a crust.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, milk powder and sugar. Set aside.
6. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sweet potatoes with an electric mixer until smooth.
7. Add the sugar mixture and mix. Then add the melted butter, honey, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. The pie mixture should be thick.
8. Pour the mixture into the pie crust, making sure that it is level at the top.
9. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the custard filling has reached 165 to 180 degrees.
10. Remove from oven and cool.

Pumpkin Pie With a Fireball Whipped Cream

• 9-inch graham cracker pie shell (see recipe above)
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 cup of dark rum

Fireball whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons fireball whisky

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whip the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, salt and spices.
3. Once the ingredients come together, stop to scrape the bowl and add the eggs. Mix to combine.
4. Slowly add the milk and evaporated milk. (They must be added slowly, so that the mixture doesn't get chunky.)
5. Finally, add the melted butter, vanilla and dark rum, stopping to mix and scrape down the bowl in between each ingredient.
6. Pour the mixture in prepared pie shell, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
7. To make whipped cream, whip together the heavy cream and sugar until light and fluffy.
8. Fold in the vanilla and fireball.
9. Top pie with whipped cream before serving.

Related: Ask A Philadelphia Chef: Gluten-free Thanksgiving Recipes 

Michelle Hein is the social media editor for a women's fashion company in Bucks County by day and a self-proclaimed food and drink fanatic by night and weekend. She enjoys attending wine classes, trying new recipes in the kitchen and going to old favorites and new restaurants alike in the Bucks County and Philadelphia area. If the writing gig doesn't pan out, she constantly dreams of owning her own bakery…perhaps connected to the restaurant/bar that her lawyer husband would love to open.
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