Let talk pie

Thanksgiving is three weeks from tomorrow … yes, three weeks! The favorite dessert of most Thanksgiving meals is pie — pumpkin, pecan, apple, sweet potato and more. These days, since my Thanksgiving dinners are not as large, I’m making several flavors of mini pies. Each 6-inch pie serves two people, so I don’t end up with so much leftover pie and everyone gets their favorite. The smaller pies are great for single households or those with two people. Whether making a 6-, 9- or 10-inch pie, the basis is a good pie crust. If you don’t want to make your own crust, there are great refrigerated brands that work well. There are hundreds of pie crust recipes, and I’ve tried a whole bunch of them. I will admit I’ve never tried Julia Child’s pie crust recipe that uses vodka, mainly because I don’t keep vodka in the house. I always return to this version, which is an adaptation of my German grandmother’s recipe. She used all lard; I use half lard and half butter.

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