Fall is the season of pies. And who doesn’t love pie? With so many opportunities for entertaining right around the corner, they make a perfect option for finishing off an elegant meal. So what do you look for in such a dessert? Of course you want it to be delicious, family-friendly, easy (enough) to do and loaded with seasonal tastes. Many classic recipes that fit just that come to mind: pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie and sugar pie—and those are just some of falls greatest hits! But what about a dessert that, on top of all the traditional qualities pies get so right, might be described by your guests as unique, inventive, or even unexpected? If having a dessert that is new and different appeals to you, then you’ll be pleased to know that we have the perfect recipe for you to try!

This week, we teamed up with Instagrammer, recipe developer, and chef Sohel Emmanuel Pokidko Ayoub to create a Thanksgiving dessert that will be sure to exceed the expectations of your guests: A Butternut Squash Pie! Sohel devised a recipe that is just the thing for a season that sometimes overdoes pumpkin flavoured everything–it hits all the same tasty high notes, but keeps your Thanksgiving menu edgy and avant-garde. With cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, and cloves, this treat will satisfy all those PSL lovers out there, while taking everyone’s taste buds on a new adventure.

In the mood to get baking yet? The pie pastry is an essential element and we all know it can get a bit tricky. To mix the dough, Sohel used our beautiful ruby red Promix Stand Mixer, which he absolutely adores! With the season for holiday baking in sight, this kitchen staple and countertop classic will be a go-to. Don’t forget the pie dish! This recipe requires one that is about 9 to 10 inches in diameter, so if you are in need, the pie dish from our new Remy Olivier Zig Zag Bakeware collection will help you make a pie that will be sure to please.

So get ready to bring your best pie-game and make your Thanksgiving meal extraordinary from start to finish!

Top with whipped cream before serving for an extra special touch. Bon appétit!

@iamsohel

Of Russian and Lebanese origin, Sohel grew up in Africa with his family where he quickly developed a curiosity and a love for food. Passionate about the arts in general, he devoted himself to singing and dramatic art during his adolescence. A few years later, not knowing what path his career would take and having cultivated a passion for cooking, he decided to enroll at l’école des métiers de la restauration et du tourisme de Montréal, where he graduated in 2013.

After graduating, Sohel worked for some time at the catering service Agnus Dei and later decided to redirect his career towards culinary styling, where he discovered his true strength and passion. His creativity and love of the visual arts made his work vibrant and quickly propelled him as one of the top Montreal ‘Foodies’ on Instagram. In 2016, he joined the Montreal company Cook It, where he works as a chef and recipe developer. Most recently, he started working as Chef for private events in Deloitte Tower in Downtown Montreal. He has been featured in several video collaborations with Québec personalities such as Mitsou, Joël Legendre, Virginie Coossa, Florence K and many others. Sohel also has a few television appearances, including Dragon’s Den Canada & L’Épicerie on Radio-Canada. Follow him on Instagram at @iamsohel for more!

Though it may be August, summer is far from over. The sun is still beaming and opportunities for outdoor dining are still at their peak! The cooler evenings might mean you need an extra sweater or blanket to throw over your shoulders, but it just gives us all the more reason to snuggle up closer with our loved-ones and friends! The chance for a picnic is still well within your grasp, and luckily, we’re here to help you plan and make sure you have everything you need for a romantic evening dinning outside or a perfect daytime adventure with the kids.

If you missed it, our blog post What to Take on a Picnic: Tips and Easy Recipes had tons of great picnic pointers for packing, transporting and making your menu, but we thought we could give you even more ideas because we think picnics are one of the best things about summer! Why not venture out for more than one? In fact, there are so many outdoor sporting events, concerts, fairs and festivals all summer long that there are probably more opportunities for picnics than you could possibly take advantage of!  So, this week we have more recipes for you to take on your picnic and (can you believe it?!) another cute way for you to transport your essential outdoor dining tools. We partnered up with Gabrielle Pellerin, the blogger and recipe developer behind A Simple Thyme, to plan a second picnic meal packed to perfection in our Trident Picnic Basket. It doesn’t get more convenient than this 22 piece basket which is complete with all of your picnic essentials: a setting for 4 that includes plates, wine glasses, forks, knives, spoons and even a wine bottle opener! With the Trident Picnic Basket, outdoor dining is a breeze!

So let’s get down to business. It’s not a great picnic without an absolutely scrumptious menu to bite into while you’re enjoying the lovely outdoors. With Gabrielle’s help, we’ve got two more mouth-watering recipes for you to prepare for your adventurous dining experience. The first is a fully-loaded smoked salmon sandwich with a parsley-caper pesto. Made with two types of cheese (goat cheese and cream cheese), cucumbers, sprouts, onions and lettuce packed between two slices of country bread, this sandwich is guaranteed to please. As for our second recipe, it will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth in a cute country-style kind of way. Even better than regular pie (because it fits in the palm of your hand) our blueberry hand pie recipe is just what you need to finish off your picnic! Just add in some crudités and crunchy chips to snack on in-between these two delights and you’ll be absolutely set for a delicious al fresco meal.

Make the most of the glorious summer days ahead and get planning your next picnic!

Helping you make the most of outdoor dining,

While studying restaurant management at the well known ITHQ, Gabrielle found her true passion for cooking. When she posted a few innocent photos of her creations on Instagram, the community quickly welcomed her and she now has over 11 thousand followers. This recognition drove her to explore and create more than she had before. In addition to finding photos of her delicious recipes on her Instagram, she now shares her recipes on her culinary blog, A Simple Thyme.

Gabrielle does it all, from simple recipes to creating the ultimate comfort food meal, and it is always guaranteed to make your mouth water. If you want to see more, make sure to visit her blog and follow her Facebook and Instagram pages to never miss a recipe again!

During the holidays, a pie is a standard choice of dessert. Apple pie, pecan pie and mince meat pies are customary ways to finish off your holiday meals with something sweet. And oh, are they ever good! While we’d never replace our favorite dessert pies for the holidays, we do like to try new things!

Our Chocolate Cookie Crust Key Lime pie is a delicious deviation from the ordinary. Key Lime Pie originates from the Florida Keys. There is a lime that grows only there and its taste is uniquely subtle and with floral tones. There is some debate surrounding what constitutes a traditional Key Lime Pie: does it have a crumbled cookie crust or is it meant to have a pastry crust? Is it whipped cream or meringue on the top? We went with a cookie crust (a chocolate one at that!) and topped it off with whip cream. But don’t hold yourself back! If pastry is your thing or if you have a go-to meringue recipe, why not use that? We even swapped in coconut milk for the sweetened condensed milk and topped the whip cream off with shredded coconut! While you’re making this recipe your own you could even add some holiday flare to it by decorating the top with cranberries, sprinkling orange zest over the top or finish it off by pouring a raspberry coolis over it!

Wherever your taste buds take you, this recipe will help guide you in baking a holiday dessert for you and your whole family to enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 ¼ cups Chocolate cookie crumbs
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons of sugar

Filling

• 1 cup key lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 300 ml of coconut juice
• 6 key limes – zested
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs

Topping (Whipped Cream)

• ½ cups grated coconut
• 1 ¾ cups of 35% cream
• ¼ cup icing sugar
• 1 lime zested

Preparation:

Crust

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In our deep mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Press into the Remy Olivier Elite Pie Dish. Bake for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Filling

3. Off the heat, in our Remy Olivier sabayon sauce pan, mix lime juice and cornstarch with the thinkkitchen whisk. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until it thickens. Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate for about three hours or until completely cooled.

Whipped Cream

4. In a bowl, beat all the ingredients with our thinkkitchen hand mixer until firm peaks form.
5. Garnish the pie with the whipped cream.
6. Sprinkle grated coconut on top.

Serve with our Bon Appetit pie server and enjoy!

Here to inspire you to get creative with dessert time over the holidays,

Directions: Pastry

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in lard until mixture looks crumbly, with some larger pea-sized pieces. In a liquid measuring cup, use a fork to blend egg and vinegar. Add enough ice water to make 1 cup (250 ml). Drizzle slowly over dry ingredients, tossing them with a fork to make a ragged dough that clumps together. Press dough until smooth and form into 4 discs. Wrap discs individually with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled (about 30 minutes)

*Want to make it in advance? Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, let it come to room temperature before rolling.

Filling

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven combine beef, pork, onions, celery, parsley, water, savory, cinnamon, cloves, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, constantly breaking up meat and stirring until meat has lost its pinkness and is crumbly – about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, cover it and stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost evaporated (about 1 hour). After, remove it from the heat and stir in rolled oats. Let it cool.

Making it in advance? Let cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate it uncovered until cold. Cover and then can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Assembly

Sprinkle flour on counter and rolling pin before rolling out one of the pastry discs to 1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness. Line a deep 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate with the pastry, leaving the edge untrimmed. Fill with half of the meat mixture and moisten pastry on rim of pie plate with water. Roll out a second disc of pastry and unroll over the filling. Once covered, trim and flute the edges to seal. Repeat for second pie.

Making it in advance? Double-wrap the pies with heavy-duty foil. They can be frozen for up to 1 month. The day of: Remove from the freezer and let thaw in refrigerator; add about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Baking

Cut steam vents in center of each pie. In a cup, mix egg yolk with milk and brush over surface of both pies. Bake in bottom third of a 400F (200C.) oven until pastry is golden and filling piping hot, about 40 to 45 minutes.) Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

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Directions: Dough

*Dough can be made up to 2 days before and stored chilled, or can be frozen up to 3 months then thaw in the fridge before rolling.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and oil in an electric mixer and blend until the flour looks evenly crumbly in texture. Add butter to the mixture and blend until rough and crumbly but small pieces of butter are still visible. Then stir in water and vinegar/ or lemon juice. Mix until the dough comes together then shape the dough into 2 disks, wrap and chill them until firm (at least an hour).

Directions: Filling

Peel, core and slice the apples. Once all apples are sliced, preheat the oven to 400 F. While oven is preheating, toss sliced apples with lemon juice. Place half the apples in a large pot and heat over medium heat (until the juices cook out and the apples soften – about 10 minutes). Once soft, remove the apples using a slotted spoon

In one bowl, stir cooked with uncooked apples to let cool down the cooked apples.In a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and add it to the apples, stir it, then set aside.

Remove dough from fridge and let sit for 15-30 minutes before rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough to just less than a ¼ inch thick.

Lightly dust the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate with flour and line the plate with the dough then sprinkle oats on the bottom of the shell to help absorb excess juice.

Once your pie crust is made, spoon the apple filling into the shell then roll out the second piece of dough to the same thickness and place over the apples. Trim the excess dough and pinch the edges of crust together – creating a fluted edge. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.

Mix a little bit of cinnamon and sugar together to sprinkle on top. With scissors, snip the top crust to allow steam to escape.

Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 400 F. After, reduce the heat to 375 F and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes (until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool the pie for 2 hours before slicing to serve.

Enjoy!

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