This Side of the Pond

I was tasked with making dessert for this year’s Thanksgiving feast, because my sister-in-law is as clever as she is a good host. I opted for a raspberry cheesecake and apple crumble tassies, because the pumpkin pie was already covered.

You may be wondering why we needed extra dessert on top of the traditional choices, and the answer to that question is that we didn’t. Necessity is beside the point.

My sister-in-law knows that I’ll be anxious to the point that I will vibrate around the edge of her kitchen if I’m not allowed to bring something. My grandmother would be revolving in her grave at...