You Must Make Little Pies This Thanksgiving.
For the baker, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to experiment with all the pie ideas I’ve wanted to try. Unfortunately, I always make way more pies than I need. I’m a big fan of variety and I know that some people live for sweet potatoes, while others need pecans, and it’s a crime if you don’t have an apple or pumpkin on your table. One guest will always insist on bringing a cake, and a 12-inch cheesecake will mysteriously appear. By the end of the night, you have eight different half-eaten pies. You’re in pie pickle. If you don’t have a place to properly store them, they will eventually go to waste. In order not to throw pies after Thanksgiving, bake smaller 6-inch pies instead.
At first, I also objected to the idea of making smaller pies. Thanksgiving dinner is a time to go overboard with a big turkey, a wide variety of side dishes, and a great dessert, so why minimize? But as much as I love seeing people enjoy their food, I equally hate watching it go uneaten. I knew that something had to change, but I did not refuse diversity. So last year I decided to compromise on size.
For dessert, most people are so full of turkey and mashed potatoes that even those with a sweet tooth are likely to have just a slice of pie for dessert. I have reviewed the historically most popular pie flavors among my guests. These pies remained in the full 9-inch size. Other pies that only two or three of my invitees like have become small pies. I should note that small pies are not at all the same as “mini pies”. Mini pies are two-piece pies that are cooked in muffin tins. They are adorable, but I hate fiddling with shaping them and often the stuffing ends up being a mess. The little 5 1/2 or 6 inch pies you see at farmers’ markets have shrunk in size but still have a serious top-to-crust ratio.
I ended up making two large pies and two small pies, and to be honest, I could make all four pies 6″. I had leftovers from both large pies even after a few friends took home. If they were 6″ these plates would be clean. (On the other hand, I had to eat pie in my sweatpants on Saturday.)
I always overcook (and always will), but reducing the size of dessert is a tactic I keep leaning towards. I bought 5 1/2″ ceramic pie pans from my local Shoprite store, but you can find similar sizes at various glass , ceramic , aluminum stores, or you can use disposable foil .
How to adjust recipes for smaller pies
With smaller pie pans, your favorite pie crust and filling recipes will probably stretch even further. During the busiest meal of the year, that means less work and fewer ingredients on your end. I was able to line up two small pie pans with the amount of batter that would normally make for one 9-inch pie pan. I know the math seems weird, but almost every recipe has extra ingredients. I always get plenty of pie crust scraps and over half a cup of extra pumpkin pie filling. By making smaller patties, I had the perfect amount. If you’re going to bake four small pies, make one double crust recipe and you’ll have enough to bake four shells. If you are making pies with tops, adjust your recipe from there. Because most recipes almost always have extra toppings for a full pie, adjusting the right amount of toppings needed for a 5- or 6-inch pie is as easy as cutting the original recipe in half. If you’re worried about the recipe being short, measure the volume of a pie dish by filling it with water and pour the water into a measuring cup. Whatever the result, you need to subtract ¼ cup to ½ cup to account for the thickness of your crust. This is about the amount of filling you will need. Add up the ingredients in the recipe as best you can and see if half of the topping meets your needs. My pumpkin pie recipe turned out to be simple, cut in half; I added a few more nuts to my nut pie. When baking, check your pies about 10-15 minutes earlier than the actual baking time.
Small pies still provide a good top-to-crust ratio with fewer ingredients and slightly faster cooking times. Whether it’s a small guest list or a big family Thanksgiving, if you find yourself throwing away leftover pie every year, try small pies to keep variety but cut down on waste at the end of the evening.