The following is my recipe for apple pie filling. If you are using canned fruit such as peaches or berries you can use the same recipe. Use a quart of fruit and, since the fruit is already cooked, you need only drain the juice into a sauce pan and warm it while you prepare the thickening.
4 to 5 thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples. Avoid Delicious apples. Most other red apples work fine. Granny Smith apples add tartness.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
OPTIONAL ½ cup canned drained pineapple--chunked or crushed. Juice from pineapple can be used as part of the liquid to cook the apples.
Prepare and roll out pastry for a double crust pie. Line a nine inch pie pan with half of the pastry.
While preparing apple slices, place them in a two quart sauce pan with 1 cup water (part can be pineapple juice—see above) and lemon juice. Simmer apple slices and water, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until slices just start to soften. Remove from heat. Put a colander over a large bowl and drain the liquid off the fruit, then return the liquid to the saucepan. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Add ¼ cup water to the sugar-cornstarch mixture and stir until smooth. Stir this into the juice in the sauce pan and return the mixture to the heat and stir. Continue stirring until it comes to a boil. If the mixture is thicker than pudding thin it down with a little more water. Add apple slices, and if desired, drained pineapple.
Pour the filling into a pie pan lined with uncooked pie pastry. Add the pastry top, seal edges and cut holes to let out steam. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes on the lower oven rack until crust is browned.
APPLE CRUMB PIE:
Prepare as above, except use an uncooked single crust pastry recipe. Fill pastry-lined pie pan with apple pie filling. CRUMB TOPPING: Stir together ½ cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup packed brown sugar. Using a pastry blender or spoon and then clean fingers, cut in 3 tablespoons butter or margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple filling and bake 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
OPTIONAL ½ cup canned drained pineapple--chunked or crushed. Juice from pineapple can be used as part of the liquid to cook the apples.
Prepare and roll out pastry for a double crust pie. Line a nine inch pie pan with half of the pastry.
While preparing apple slices, place them in a two quart sauce pan with 1 cup water (part can be pineapple juice—see above) and lemon juice. Simmer apple slices and water, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until slices just start to soften. Remove from heat. Put a colander over a large bowl and drain the liquid off the fruit, then return the liquid to the saucepan. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Add ¼ cup water to the sugar-cornstarch mixture and stir until smooth. Stir this into the juice in the sauce pan and return the mixture to the heat and stir. Continue stirring until it comes to a boil. If the mixture is thicker than pudding thin it down with a little more water. Add apple slices, and if desired, drained pineapple.
Pour the filling into a pie pan lined with uncooked pie pastry. Add the pastry top, seal edges and cut holes to let out steam. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes on the lower oven rack until crust is browned.
APPLE CRUMB PIE:
Prepare as above, except use an uncooked single crust pastry recipe. Fill pastry-lined pie pan with apple pie filling. CRUMB TOPPING: Stir together ½ cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup packed brown sugar. Using a pastry blender or spoon and then clean fingers, cut in 3 tablespoons butter or margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple filling and bake 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
Oh man now I am going to have to make a pie, that sounds yummy! One note though make sure you say drain the juice off the canned fruit "into a saucepan" I tried to teach Chris how to make a pie and when he got to the drain the juice off the fruit part he drained it into the sink. Guess what seems obvious to one person can be confusing to another, I know his computer jargon leaves me in the dust most times.
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