Turkey Day Pie Question

CallMeKate

CallMeKate

Well-known Member
Location
Mid-Atlantic US
I'll be doing pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving... as always. 🥧 Every year I've made it the day before along with a few other things... but I'd really like to make the pies earlier if possible. (I don't want to freeze them.) A Google search yields all kinds of conflicting answers... so I'm asking here. :giggle: I know that making them Tuesday would be okay... what about Monday? Three days too long to keep their flavor and consistency?
 

In my opinion, Monday would be pushing it. It would probably be okay on Thursday but why risk it? And if there are leftovers, I think it would be risky to eat it the day after that. I'm not referring to taste but to safety. Bacteria will start to set in. And be sure to refrigerate it.

I know you said you didn't want to freeze it, but it really wouldn't hurt the pie at all if you threw it in the freezer for a couple days. Just double wrap it and thaw in refrigerator the day before T-giving. That way you can feel confident it's still good.

As I said, this is just my opinion, but it's what I would do.
 
Thank you, @caroln ... makes sense. I was brainstorming with myself this morning about what could be done earlier in the week. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, baked beans, etc. need to be Thursday. Broccoli Salad, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs and a few other things are done Wednesday. With a few kinds of pie, I just may do what you said and freeze some after all. I hadn't taken leftovers into consideration which would add a day.
 

I used to make one 10" deep dish, early on the day of Thanksgiving in October, the Canadian date then. We'd cook the pumpkin in the oven on the Saturday. Purée on Sunday morning, get pie ready and have it warm with cold whipped cream for dessert. Below is my favourite recipe!

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

I didn't make any for past two Thanksgiving and Harvest Sundays, it was son and husband's favourites. It's too hard now...
 
One year, my daughter sold 20 pumpkin pies for her Future Farmers of America (FFA) project. She made her pie dough over two weekends several weeks early & froze them. Then 1 day before baking day she made the filling & put it in the fridge. With everything prepped & while she was at school, I poured filling into the shells & baked them on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery.
 
My ex's brother's wife used to make a Thanksgiving pie for those with a sugar-restricted diet. Usally she brought 3 of hem because so many people liked it.

I don't have the recipe, but I remember her saying she used a crust she prebaked. She made a mixture of unsweetened applesauce and frozen blackberries (thawed and drained) all blended slightly to break up the berries. She added some plain yogurt and chilled that all for a while. At some point the mixture was put into the pie shells, and allowed to chill overnight in the refrigerator.

I don't know the proportions of those things, but it did seem firmed up when served cold. I suppose that strawberries or raspberries might work as well.
 
Freezing for a short time should not hurt. It’s when something is left in the freezer for many months that quality is affected.

I am the “freezer sheriff” at our house, cleaning it, defrosting, and discarding. We have two chest freezers.
 
caroln said:
Your "to do" list made me tired already! o_O That's why my daughter is now the holiday chef of the family!
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CallMeKate said:
One of these years I'll do the same and pass the baton... but not quite ready yet. That said, my daughter knows it's coming. 😁
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That's one of the downsides of not having a daughter to pass the burden of this on to; a niece on Huzz's side kind of tossed out a general invite ("you're always welcome to spend (whichever holiday/dinner) with us." The nephews, of course, being men, haven't even thought about it. And I don't think you can (or shouldn't anyway) inform nieces or nephews that they need to start taking this over like you maybe easier can with daughters or daughters-in-law. So our situation has kind of become that we either try to host an enormous holiday dinner ourselves (noooo!) or eat it alone. So that's one reason I dread the holidays.
 
I am making a couple of pumpkin pies this year-a first for me,I usually make pumpkin cheeseakes,which I will still make but am adding pies. Everything I have read says Do Not Freeze pumpkin pies as the filling will separate from the crust. Is this not the case?
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
I am making a couple of pumpkin pies this year-a first for me,I usually make pumpkin cheeseakes,which I will still make but am adding pies. Everything I have read says Do Not Freeze pumpkin pies as the filling will separate from the crust. Is this not the case?
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It is, yes. They get watery... but I'm still deciding if it's worth it to make them a little early. I don't like the gummy crusts, but I have so much to do Wednesday and Thursday with a very tiny oven... so still considering. @Mrs. Robinson
 
Michael Z said:
Freezing for a short time should not hurt. It’s when something is left in the freezer for many months that quality is affected.

I am the “freezer sheriff” at our house, cleaning it, defrosting, and discarding. We have two chest freezers.
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Here in Canada a "Chest Freezer " has an entirely different meaning. JimB.
 
CallMeKate said:
It is, yes. They get watery... but I'm still deciding if it's worth it to make them a little early. I don't like the gummy crusts, but I have so much to do Wednesday and Thursday with a very tiny oven... so still considering. @Mrs. Robinson
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The filling shouldn't get watery if it is COMPLETELY COOLED prior to putting in the freezer, and it's defrosted in the refrigerator instead of on a counter. (And of course it has to be baked to the right doneness!)

To keep a pie crust from getting soggy, you can pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes or so. But my mom always added some bread crumbs to the bottom of the crust before pouring in the filling. The crumbs absorbed any extra liquid.
 
@caroln, I haven't heard about the crumbs before. I think I'll try that this year. I read in an old cookbook, but haven't done it yet, that with a custard pie you should brush it with egg white & partial bake it before adding the filling to keep a crust from getting soggy.
 
Lilac said:
@caroln, I haven't heard about the crumbs before. I think I'll try that this year. I read in an old cookbook, but haven't done it yet, that with a custard pie you should brush it with egg white & partial bake it before adding the filling to keep a crust from getting soggy.
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I've heard about the egg wash idea too. It forms a barrier so the liquid can't penetrate the crust. Makes sense.
 

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