It's time for pie

We’re a week out now! If you haven’t had a chance to join the official Thanksgiving FYI Slack, there’s some great tips and ideas being shared. And if you are missing an invitation to the Slack, just drop me a line at jim@thanksgiving.fyi and I’ll get it sorted.

Pie. Is good. It’s a platonic dessert and it’s quintessentially American, to boot. You can eat pie any time of year, fill it with seasonal wonder, and it makes for a perfect breakfast. Let us give thanks to pie!

To my mind, Thanksgiving should include the holy trinity of autumnal pies: pumpkin, pecan, and apple. Other pies are welcome (yes, I agree it’s an incredible feat of globalized capital that we can import strawberries to Anchorage in November, but please leave the berries for summer) but do consider these three as a starting point. Cream, either ice or whipped, is a nice accompaniment, as is piping hot coffee (decaf after dinner for those of us over 40). There should be enough pie that it’s available to spoon right out of the plate at odd hours of the night. Don’t skimp on the pie.

The year I brought a pie made with a homemade crust, you’d’ve thought I raised the dead. It was impressive! It is impressive. And this really is the time to make your own pie dough and make it with real butter. Pie doughs are intimidating, and they can be challenging, but they are straightforward. Here are my tips: