The first time I had Thanksgiving dinner was back in 2012. Thomas, my future husband, invited me to spend Thanksgiving with his family at his parents’ place in Albany, Georgia. The experience was very special for me. Not only was it the first time I ate turkey, but it also opened my eyes to how American people cook and celebrate the festival in a very traditional way. Yep, I’m talking about homemade turkey, multiple pies, and baked green beans made with Campbell’s mushroom soup. Everybody cooks on Thanksgiving Day. It was quite awkward for me because I had no idea how to cook any Thanksgiving dishes. I tried my best to help with the mashed potatoes, but it turned out that I didn’t add enough butter and cream cheese. Below you’ll see some of the photos I took during my first Thanksgiving dinner. Guess which dish I made? Yep, that plate of sushi. Kinda out of place isn’t it… But fortunately, everybody loved it.
Since we got married, I’ve spent Thanksgiving with my new family a couple of times. I’ve been picking up some holiday cooking every year. So far, I’ve challenged myself with baking a whole turkey, Chinese-style. And I can make some mean mashed potatoes. I decided to challenge myself with pie-making this year. I originally had a negative impression toward Thanksgiving pies. It’s not that they aren’t delicious. But it’s really difficult for me to enjoy a heavy dessert after having plates of turkey, roast beef, stuffing, and dinner rolls. My goal for Thanksgiving this year is to bring some Asian elements to the traditional American dessert by making a lighter version of pumpkin pie that you can easily enjoy after a heavy dinner.
Here are some of the highlights of my recipe:
I made the pie filling using steamed kabocha, a type of squash that is usually seen in Asian desserts. It has a sweet and nutty taste that is almost like that of sweet potato. I doubled the ginger and used very little cinnamon. I also skipped the cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, which are used in traditional pumpkin pie. Because I want to draw out the natural flavor of the squash. I added just half a cup of sugar and skipped condensed milk. The pie filling is made with heavy cream and milk, which creates a light, fluffy, and silky texture that will melt in your mouth. Lastly, I finally found a foolproof pie crust recipe that even a baking rookie like me can master. I believe that a freshly made flaky crust is the only way to go.
The recipe below might look long. But trust me, the pumpkin filling is very easy to make. All you need to do is steam the kabocha and mix everything in a blender (my beloved Vitamix came in handy here!).
I chose to steam the kabocha instead of baking it, because it shortens the cooking time from 1 hour to just 15 minutes. Plus it won’t take up your precious oven time on a busy Thanksgiving day. When I completed my pie project for the year, my husband was very happy with the results. His comment was “it’s a lighter, more gingery version of the classic and tasty enough to serve at the family Thanksgiving dinner”. I took that as a sign my mission was complete 😉
More Thanksgiving recipes
Chinese Brined Turkey (Extra Juicy and Crispy on All Sides) Restaurant Style Mashed Potatoes Thanksgiving Leftover Curry Puffs Oven Roasted Green Beans with Garlic Soy Glaze
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