Tired of the same old apple, pumpkin, pecan, or sweet potato pie? Looking for something a little different this Thanksgiving? Try out Class of 1967 graduate Mark Bittman’s recipe for Maple Pie!

Makes one 9″ pie

INGREDIENTS
Flaky pie crust:

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick very cold butter, cut into chunks
• 3 tbsp ice water, plus more if necessary

Filling:

• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups maple syrup
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, cut into cubes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Crust: Using a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add butter; pulse until it is just barely blended and the butter is broken down to the size of peas. (By hand: Combine dry ingredients and butter in a large bowl. With a pastry cutter, work butter pieces into flour, until the mixture has the texture of small peas.)
2. Add 3 tbsp ice water (not just cold water) to the flour mixture. Process for about 5 seconds, just until the dough begins to clump together, adding more ice water if necessary (or a little more flour if you add too much water).
3. Transfer dough to a quart-size plastic zipper bag. Press dough into a disk by mushing along the outside of the bag into a thick disk shape. It’s important not to overheat or overwork the dough; squeeze it with enough pressure just to hold it together. Freeze for 10 min. or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
4. Dust a large pinch of flour over your work surface. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and dust the rolling pin with flour. Roll dough out into circle that is 2 inches larger than pie plate and less than 1/8 inch thick.
5. Press dough into dish without squishing or stretching it. Patch any tears with small scrap of dough. Trim excess to about 1/2 inch all around. Tuck edges under themselves so dough is thicker on the rim and crimp the edges as desired. Chill until crust feels cool to the touch.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prick dough with fork before prebaking. Line the shell with buttered foil and fill with weights. Bake crust for 10-12 minutes, just until edges start to color a bit. Remove foil and weights and bake until bottom begins to color, 10-12 more minutes. Leave oven on at 350 degrees and cool crust slightly on rack.
7. Filling: Whisk cream and cornstarch together to make a slurry. In a heavy saucepan, bring maple syrup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat if necessary. Which in cream mixture, lower heat and whisk frequently for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
8. Remove pan from heat, stir in butter until melted and let cool just until lukewarm. Add eggs and salt and beat until smooth. Place pie plate on a baking sheet. Fill shell with maple filling.
9. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until top of pie is bubbly and golden brown (shakes like Jell-O in the center but moist and firm along the edges). Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

You can make this pie ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days! Bring to room temperature before serving.

Mark Bittman ’76 is a food writer and an author of more than a dozen popular books, three of which have become successful apps. His New York Times “Minimalist” column debuted in 1997 and ran for 13 years in the Dining section. In 2011, he became a Times Opinion columnist and the lead food writer for The Times Magazine. You can learn more about Mark on his website here.