I am hosing Thanksgiving this year for the very first time. I am so, so excited. There are few things I love more than entertaining, yet I’ve never hosted guests for the holidays. I’ve got my table scape designed, a floral scheme in mind, and rentals ordered. All that’s left is the food. And my, will there be lots of it. Holy cow. Who decided Thanksgiving required so many side dishes? (And why in the world are we celebrating the harvest season in November when in actuality it occurs in August? Nothing like rearranging holidays to better suit or economic needs, America. Oh, wait. That’s another post.)
Back to the task at hand, which today happens to be pies. I am baking two pumpkin pies and a tarte tatin this year. In attempting to keep the day before and the day of Thanksgiving a little more sane and task-free, I decided to make the pate brisee today, as it’s time consuming what with the chilling, rolling, par baking. Fillings I’ll whip together on Wednesday and bake everything Thursday morning. There’s nothing better than the intoxicating scent of fresh pies filling the house. Rhys, the ever-curious, was in the kitchen with me, vying for the role of assistant pastry chef. I think he gets the job. He just better get out of the habit of chewing on the wooden spoons. I think that might be frowned upon by the health department.