Just before I started baking, I was already salivating and tasting the cinnamon in the apple sauce. This was my first time in ten years making apple pie.

To be honest, I am more of an apple crumble person and not just because it is easier to make, but because I like the crunchiness of it all, versus apple pie where you just enjoy the filling and the sometimes soggy crust. The soggy crust is a memory from my last Thanksgiving.

Unlike last year, when I celebrated with my closest friends and my family in a big condo party hall, this year Thanksgiving Day was different. The people that were celebrating with me could all sit in an 6-seater dining table. It was a small group of people, easy to feed and to surprise with a homemade apple pie.

This was an experiment for me and not because of the apples, but because of the crust. I wanted to make an easy, yet savory crust that would leave my guests in awe and wanting more. It took me exactly two days until I found the easiest crust recipe. I made the crust the day before just in case something went wrong. Nothing happened, fortunately, and I did not even have to get my hands dirty. All I used to make the crust was a food processor, flour and butter. I got the recipe from this website.

I was nervous but excited, not just because of how it was going to taste, but I was afraid the crust would not cook and that would have been a disaster.

I peeled and prepped the apples for the filling using a recipe from the same website and everything was coming together perfectly. I was listening to a Disney baking playlist from Spotify and sipping some Sauv Blanc. It was truly a good day. I baked the pie for an hour, it cooked to perfection and the crust came out to be one of the best that I have done in my entire life.

I was desperate to taste it once it was ready. I think I burnt my finger trying to taste the apple sauce from the side of the baking dish. I brought it over to the house where I was having dinner, and everyone was excited to taste the pie.

After finishing with the turkey and the stuffing, the pie was brought the table to be enjoyed with a side of vanilla ice cream. It was succulent, and the crust was the protagonist that night. Everyone loved it and had seconds, just to enjoy the marvelous crust.  

So, if there is something that I am grateful for this year, is the people that got to share the pie with me, and of course grateful for the well-cooked and delicious pie.