A PIE STORY - # - elenasimages' Photos

A tale of making Thanksgiving pies in Mexico....

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Originally I volunteered to make pies for Thanksgiving dinner, and my hostess responded that she and her daughter love to make pies, so I planned to make something else for the traditional feast. Then she wrote that she had searched 5 stores in Puerto Vallarta and couldn't find canned pumpkin. Alas, her next email revealed that her oven had broken, so could I make the pies. Oui, bien sur!

First, bake the pumpkin!

Next, solve the transportation problem, since I would have to take 2 buses to get to my friend's house for the hour-long ride to San Pancho.
I scavenged some styrofoam from discarded boxes and constructed a "pie tower," so one pie wouldn't crush another.

One pie could go into this box originally designed for a DVD player.

Yes, it would work! The "pie tower" could sit on top of the DVD box, and with more foam as a brace, wouldn't slide around in the bag.

The bag.....in Mexico one sees people lugging HUGE bags onto buses. Now I would be among them.

Next, the ingredients: Lard obtained from a local butcher...no polyunsaturated fats here. Straight unadulterated fat calories. It's a bit on the tan side...not like that white lard my mom used.

Close-up of the pecans, and the baked pumpkin, ready to puree. Which should I make, besides pumpkin pie, pecan or apple???

Getting organized on the small table in my kitchen. Not quite enough counter space for this operation.

The lard has been chilled, though it's still much softer than what I'm used to and the mixture of lard and flour is not so crumbly. I add the water, and the dough instantly forms a very soft ball. How can I roll this out??? I sitck in in the freezer to chill a bit while I peel apples.

Originally I volunteered to make pies for Thanksgiving dinner, and my hostess responded that she and her daughter love to make pies, so I planned to make something else for the traditional feast. Then she wrote that she had searched 5 stores in Puerto Vallarta and couldn't find canned pumpkin. Alas, her next email revealed that her oven had broken, so could I make the pies. Oui, bien sur!

First, bake the pumpkin!