Brandywine Table: The Second Pie
Think outside the pumpkin for pies at your Thanksgiving table
It seems a miracle that after a multi-course traditional Thanksgiving dinner there’s still room for pie. Every year. Actually, there’s a scientific term — sensory specific satiety — to describe the body’s different limits for different foods and why we want dessert.
Whatever the reason, pie at Thanksgiving is a much-anticipated part of the meal. We think it’s too important a decision to default to just pumpkin every year. So we consulted a local pie master to get her take on options.
On Thanksgiving Day at Molly Johnston’s table, there are always three pies: maple pecan, apple and pumpkin. “I could never have Thanksgiving without all three,” said Johnston, owner of Nomadic Pies in Kennett Square. The shop sells about 1,000 pies each Thanksgiving holiday season, all baked at her charming storefront.
While pumpkin pie tops other Thanksgiving dessert in most homes, Johnston offers suggestions for other choices to bring pleasure to your guests’ palates. Interestingly, pear is the standout fruit among her recommendations of fall flavors.
“We make a pear cardamom pie that I absolutely adore,” she said. “You don’t see a lot of pear pies, but I positively love them.” Add a pear raspberry, roasted apple cinnamon custard and two chocolate pies to the recipes she shared.
Johnston was about 12 when she made her first pie. She’d always loved baking with her Grandma Shirley, and one day a blackberry raspberry pie on the cover of Bon Appétit magazine caught her eye. “That pie changed my life,” she said. “After that, I was obsessed, and pie was my favorite thing to bake.”
Throughout high school and college, pie was her go-to for potlucks and dinner with friends. Later, her entrepreneurial spirit led her from running bake sales to starting her own business centered on pies. Now creating all kinds of pies — lattice crust, crumb topping, custard-based pies, plus sweet and savory quiches — keeps Johnston busy all year round.
Johnston reminded us that baking is both science (watch oven temps!) and art, where every baker has a different crimp that’s like a signature. Pies are also nostalgic and rustic, which makes them more appealing than some fancy desserts.
“Even the most busted-up looking pie can taste like heaven, and there’s something charming about that,” she said. “Pie is also perfect for every occasion — housewarming gift, dinner for new parents, or comfort when people need it most. And pies are meant to be shared. They’re truly the ultimate comfort food, and they invite a kind of nostalgia that breathes tradition.”
Read on for Johnston’s recipes to consider beyond pumpkin pie this holiday season. Wishing you and your family a memorable time around the table this Thanksgiving!