The Twist On A Thanksgiving Classic Carla Hall Is Making This Year - Exclusive

Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather and feast on some of the most wonderful culinary delights of the year: Roasted turkey, homemade pies, and buttery mashed potatoes — to name just a few. We caught up with Carla Hall at this year's New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF) where we sought her culinary guidance and got an exclusive sneak peek at her plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. 

While the Thanksgiving holiday is all about tradition, there's nothing more exciting than putting an innovative twist on a beloved classic. This year, Hall is tackling pie. "So the new thing that I'm baking this year — I think other people have done it — I'm doing a sweet po pumpkin pie," she shared. "I grew up with sweet potato pie. People love pumpkin pie up here. So I'm mixing them ... I have to tell you, I made it a couple of weeks ago and I ate almost the whole pie. It is so delicious."

As Hall mentioned, when the subject of Thanksgiving pies comes up, there's often a passionate split between lovers of pumpkin pie and lovers of sweet potato pie. But both pies are equally delicious. So, what could be better than combining these two beloved desserts into one? Hall's sweet po pie is a mash-up of the savoriness of pumpkin pie married to the candy sweetness of sweet potato pie. The secret to mastering this combo? According to Hall, "You can take any [pumpkin and sweet potato pie] recipe — just know that you're going to do half pumpkin, half sweet potato."

To elevate the individual flavors even further, Hall recommends "you roast your sweet potatoes versus boiling them so the sugars are concentrated." When it's time to add the pumpkin, there's no need to trouble yourself using fresh pumpkin as Hall believes the flavor of canned pumpkin will serve your pie just as well. Once the canned pumpkin is added to the mixture, she explained, "The pumpkin lightens up the sweetness and that heaviness of the sweet potato." Thinking about giving it a try? We recommend topping your pie with roasted marshmallows or heavy whipping cream.