Don’t ruin the pumpkin pie with cardamom
- Melissa Herrera: Not Waiting for Friday
- November 17, 2024
- 193
Thanksgiving is in a couple weeks, and my mind is on pies. I’m wiping my brain cells clear of anything else (for now) because sanity, so whether anyone likes it or not, I’ve taken up the mantle of pie baker. My response to current events will be forthcoming when I scrape myself up off the floor.
Do I make my crusts from scratch? I do not. Can I even attempt to make them from scratch? I cannot.
Crusts are not my forte, just like baking bread isn’t my forte. So because I kill every loaf with over-kneading and whatever that rising part entails, I’ll stay in my lane. My lane is store-bought crusts.
There is nothing pious about making pie crusts. Pillsbury pie crusts in the red box — or generic if you’re an Aldi fan — are just as good as homemade. Probably, most will argue with me about that. I don’t have the touch and refuse to disappoint myself by trying. I don’t have time in this present chaos to care if my pies have a homemade touch.
I was a tradwife (traditional wife: see current trend) but didn’t act like one. If something makes my life easier, I’m going to use it. I’m not going to make you a cake in 50 steps and post it to TikTok. I will not be milling my own flour and grinding my own cacao beans into cocoa powder. Buy the box and bake it. Maybe I’ll stock up on 50 boxes of cake mix before the price goes up.
My Grandma Sundheimer’s pumpkin pie recipe, it is the best. I’m very sorry to anyone out there adding cardamom, nutmeg or God forbid cloves to their pies. Godspeed, dear pie baker, but I don’t make the rules. This pie is the best. It has whipped meringue folded in, a little cinnamon, and ends up with a delicious custard layer that is unmatched — some might say iconic — all nestled inside my perfectly made store-bought crusts.
Whipped cream? Of course. I usually buy Cool Whip, but maybe I’ll tinker around this year and whip my own cream. That would be a twist to the already perfect pie scenario.
I’m busying myself with Thriftmas (thrifted Christmas) gifts and possible decorating ideas. I told my kids I’m thrifting Christmas this year, and only one of them groaned and said, “The only thing you don’t want to hear from your mom.” That’s OK. I’m thinking it’s time to make a few spending cuts.
Maybe I’ll throw in a surprise pie flavor this year. I’ve attempted pecan before, but the last time I made it, it didn’t set. No one wants a watery pecan pie when pecans are $10 a pound. That is a travesty. I could do chocolate cream or even a cheesecake. I do bake a mean cheesecake.
I hope your holidays are filled with as much joy as can be. If they’re filled with a bit of sorrow, that’s OK too. There’s both in a country this vast.
Melissa Herrera is a reflective writer who captures the beauty and sorrow of change. With a career spanning 14 years as an opinion columnist and the publication of two books, she resides in Stark County with her husband and four cats. She writes to preserve memories. You can reach her at junkbabe68@gmail.com.