These five Thanksgiving pies are a dessert lover’s dream

By Claire Saffitz, The New York Times

Thanksgiving is a major production if you’re the host, and generally I encourage cutting a few corners. If it eases your workload, I say go ahead and buy the gravy or use the canned cranberry sauce.

But I draw the line at dessert.

As a baker, I give my all to the pie spread, making my own crusts, assembling fillings from scratch and softly whipping fresh cream for serving.

No matter the number of guests we’re expecting, I insist on preparing the pie trifecta (pie-fecta?) of apple, pumpkin and pecan, with some twists.

Rather than overload my apple pie with spices, I marry a dark caramel with chunky apple slices, so the end result is slightly reminiscent of tarte Tatin. My pumpkin pie is fairly traditional, save for the crunchy layer of toasted pumpkin seeds. Coated in maple syrup and baked on top, it gives an otherwise soft pie some texture. And the pecan pie, baked in a slab, uses a fi...