The turkey may be the main event at Thanksgiving, but the pie is the unsung hero of the whole dinner. Moist, sweet, crunchy, and delicious all at once, it's the perfect way to close out a marathon meal. And while everyone has their choice flavor—be it apple, pecan, or strawberry rhubarb—nothing says "fall" quite like pumpkins. That being said, we tapped French pastry chef Dominique Ansel, the brains behind the decadent Cronut, for his "extra silky" (read: insanely delicious) recipe.
"I never celebrated Thanksgiving until I moved to the states over 10 years ago," Ansel tells InStyle. "Now it's one of my favorite holidays—spending time together with friends and family over a feast that you put so much love and care into preparing. And for us, it's all about pie. The trick is to make a really smooth, creamy pumpkin filling—ours is triple-strained so it's almost custard-like, with a bit of cinnamon and a crisp gingerbread crust."
If you want to really impress your out-of-town relatives, try making Ansel's simplified at-home version below. Bon appétit indeed.