Pie # 45: Mock Apple Pie

A few different people had recommended this recipe to me before I found it in my favorite pie recipe book (Pie by Ken Haedrich.) I promise you, even though there are zero apples in this pie, it definitely tastes like an Apple Pie.

Mock Apple Pie
(Printable version)

Crust:
All Shortening Crust Recipe
(I bought a crust because I made this for a party... I definitely wasn't going to waste a homemade crust on drunk people.)

Filling:
36 Ritz Crackers, coarsely broken
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon




Prepare your pie shell. Pour crackers into unbaked pie shell.

Bring water, sugar and cream of tartar to boil in a medium-size saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest. Cool to lukewarm.

Slowly pour the cooled syrup over the cracker crumbs in the pie shell. Dot the filling with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with rolled out pie crust and cut vents.

Bake at 425 for 30 - 35 minutes.

Trust me - it tastes just like apples :)

Pie # 42: Boiled Cider Pie

Don't make this pie. The end result was less than satisfactory. I feel like I need to blog about it though since I made it and I'm sure you want to hear allllll about a pie I'll never make again :)


Boiled Cider Pie
from Ken Haedrich's Pie
(Printable version)

Crust:
1/2 All-Shortening Crust Recipe

Filling:
3/4 cup boiled cider
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs, separated






Make your boiled cider: pour 7 cups fresh, preservative free apple cider into a large saucepan and boil until cider is reduced to 1 cup. (This takes a while. Plan on doing this a day before you make the pie.)

 

Warm boiled cider, maple syrup, and butter together until butter melts. Pour mixture into heat-resistant bowl and add salt. Let cool slightly. Put egg yolks in medium-size bowl and whisk a ladleful of the warm liquid into them. Repeat several times to temper the yolks then stir the tempered mixture back into the warm syrup.

Beat the eggs whites until they form soft peaks. Add to cider mixture. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. To check if the pie is done, jiggle is slightly. The filling should not move in waves, just wobble a bit.

Note: The top should be a very dark brown.

Epic fail: I placed foil over the pie in the oven to keep the top from burning and catastrophe struck when part of the pie was stuck.

Pie # 29: Apple Cheddar Pie

This has been on my list since the very beginning. Despite disliking cheese most of the time (I know, shocking!), I am able to enjoy a few slices when fruit is involved. As a kid I can remember eating sliced apples with cheddar as an after-school-snack; the salty and sweet combo is one of my favorites. I found this recipe in Pie by Ken Haedrich. My conclusion after tasting it last night is this: not one of my favorites, definitely a "different" and "unique" light flavor, it wasn't bad but not a pie I would make over and over again. However, if cheese and apples are your thing, feel free to give it a shot!

Apple Cheddar Pie
(Printable version)

Crust:
1/2 of All-Shortening Crust

Ingredients
Filling:
6 cups peeled and sliced apples (I used Granny Smith)
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar (separated)
big pinch of salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstach

Topping:
2 1/2 cups Cheez-it crackers (white cheddar flavor)
1/4 cold, unsalted butter
3/4 finely shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, lemon juice and lemon zest in large bowl. Allow to set for 10 minutes to juice.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into apples. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, make crumb topping. Combine crumbs with chunks of butter in the food processor. (Or if you're like me and don't have a food processor because your bff moved across the country, mix this up with a fork or pastry blender.) Add the cheese and mix a bit more.

After the pie has baked for a total of 40 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle the topping evenly. Pat down with your fingers and bake for another 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling.

Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Pie is best served warm. (I heated mine in the oven at 350 for 5-6 minutes before I served.)

Thanks, Mom for helping me keep my crust from burning!

Pie # 25: Apple Raspberry Pie

Yikes - where have I been for the past few months? New York (twice) Austin, TX and Las Vegas. Life and work keep getting in the way of my pie-baking as well as my pie-blogging. Thank goodness Pi Day rolled around to remind me to get started again. Today's recipe was a random decision. I stole found two cups of frozen raspberries at my mom's house and tossed them into my Classic Apple Pie recipe for a new twist. Needless to say, it was successful.

Apple Raspberry Pie
(Printable version)

Crust:
All-Shortening Crust

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar (I used slightly more)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tea nutmeg
1/2 tea cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 cups peeled/sliced apples
2 cups raspberries (frozen or fresh)
2 tablespoons butter 




Combine apples and raspberries with sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
Pour into bottom crust. Dot with butter before placing top crust over filling. Seal edges.
Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and bake for 45-60 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pie # 22: Apple Cranberry Pie

The holidays are over and I feel like I can finally get back to my normal routine! I have a pile of laundry to finish, too much vacuuming, and the dishwasher needs to be run. That can all wait until after I introduce you to Apple Cranberry Pie; or as Rose Levy refers to it: Rosy Apple Pie.

This recipe comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible. She makes it much more complicated than it needs to be. Her version requires lots of extra mixing, melting stuff on the stove, and remixing what you already mixed. My recipe is simple and tastes exactly the same. (Printable version)



Crust:

All Shortening Crust

Ingredients:
6 cups sliced apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (I used 3 for good measure)
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries





Roll out bottom pie crust and place in 9-inch pie plate.

Mix together apples, lemon juice, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch. Once everything is mixed, add the cranberries.

Pour filling into the unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with lattice top or decorative crust. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 for another 45-60 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Pie # 19: Crumble Apple Pie

I made this recipe up. I mean, I'm sure it exists in real life, but I was too lazy to look anything up. I used the pie filling from my traditional apple pie recipe and mixed up some goodies for the crumble top. Here is how it went: (Printable Version)

Crust:
All shortening crust (half recipe)

Filling:
Same as Apple Pie

Crumb Topping:
Oatmeal
Brown sugar
Flour
Butter
Cinnamon
(And no, I did not measure, but if I had to guess: 1/4-1/3 cup everything and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.)

Mix ingredients for filling and pour into unbaked pie shell.

Mix together ingredients for crumble top and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 45-60 minutes.

Voila! Crumple Apple Pie!

Pie # 17: Roommate Pie (Grandma Ople's Apple Pie)

I received this recipe from my roommate and best friend who has been raving about it for years. Since my goal was to gain 10 pounds make awesome desserts for Thanksgiving, I whipped up this pie last weekend. It's an easy recipe with phenomenal results. If you like apple pie, you need to make this tomorrow (or tonight if you're up for it). Keep in mind: this isn't a "basic" apple pie; the recipe is different than any other I've ever seen. (Printable Version)

Crust:
All-Shortening Crust

Filling: (from All Recipes.com)
8 Granny Smith Apples (I used 9)
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in butter to form paste Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to boil. Reduce temperature and simmer for 5 minutes.

Fill bottom pie crust with sliced apples. Cover with lattice top.

Slowly, pour the sugar and butter mixture over the lattice top. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees; reduce heat to 350 and bake for 35-45 minutes.

...And at this point I would normally post pictures of the finished product but they are on my mom's camera (maybe you could email those to me, Mom?) so you're out of luck.

Pie # 14: Classic Apple Pie

Everyone loves apple pie. In fact, I believe that if we were to survey all people capable of eating, the vast majority would agree that apple pie is their favorite. A classic recipe is a must in any household. I received this recipe from my new friends Luke and Cassie; they gave me this adorable pie plate with the recipe engraved in the bottom. (Note to self: make sure you know the ingredients prior to placing the bottom crust in the plate. I found that out the hard way.) Thanks, Luke and Cassie for the great recipe! This pie was demolished during the Halloween party I hosted last weekend. (Printable version)

Crust:
All-Shortening Crust

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar (I used slightly more)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tea nutmeg
1/2 tea cinnamon
pinch of salt
8 medium apples (peeled and sliced evenly)
2 tablespoons butter

Combine apples with sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

Pour into bottom crust. Dot with butter before placing top crust over filling. Seal edges.

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and bake for 45-60 minutes.

The pumpkin and apple pies are ready for Halloween!