Annie Addis

Running Metropulos sometimes felt a little like cooking a pot of spaghetti: To make sure the pasta is cooked properly, some people throw a strand of spaghetti at the wall-and if it sticks, it’s done. When we had a new idea, we threw it at the wall, and if it stuck (the team liked it), we made it available to the public. If it stuck with our customers, it made it into the regular lineup. There were many things that did not stick, but gyros, breakfast burritos and pot pies, to name a few, stuck.

Beginning very early in the life of Metropulos, we created an “Everything But the Bird” menu for Thanksgiving. This menu included everything you might need for Thanksgiving except —you guessed it—the turkey. As a team, we worked for days preparing all the traditional, or not-so-traditional, dishes for Thanksgiving. From cheese boards to potatoes (sweet or mashed or, for a couple of years, Greek lemon) to green beans and morning quiches. And pies. We made a lot of pies.

This has been my go-to crust for years. The combination of shortening and butter, plus a little vinegar, makes for a really tender flaky crust. Use it for any pie recipe using a traditional crust. For those who are new to pie crusts, you have options for treating the dough after it’s been made. If you plan to roll it right away after making it, refrigerate the discs for at least 30 minutes before rolling. After you form the crusts, refrigerate them until ready to bake.