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Frozen Fruit Pie Filling Recipes
Makes
1, 9-inch standard pie, deep-dish pie, tart shell or cobbler fillings
Serves 6 to 8
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To avoid the possibility of fruit juices
penetrating and softening the lower crust before a frozen two-crust pie is
baked, simply freeze the filling and the crust separately and combine them
immediately before baking. I prefer to roll out rounds of dough and freeze
them flat between layers of foil. Pie-sized batches of seasonal fruits can
be prepared quickly and easily and stored in foil packets molded to the
shape of your pie plate. Fruits that freeze especially well are cooking
apples, fresh apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, rhubarb, and berries. |
Freezing Time:
up to 6 months without loss of flavor
Special Equipment: one 12 X 24-inch square heavy-duty aluminum foil, for
each pie
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4 to 6 cups fresh fruit-washed, peeled if necessary, hulled or
cored, and sliced if necessary |
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1/2 to 1 cup granulated white or brown sugar (amount depends on
type and sweetness of fruit) |
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional |
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1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional |
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1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (amount depends on type and
flavor of fruit) |
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3 to 3 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, or cornstarch (amount
depends on juiciness of fruit) |
- Toss the
prepared fruit with all the remaining ingredients. Let stand for a few minutes
to moisten the tapioca well and slightly soften it. Center a foil sheet over a
9-inch pie plate. Mound the fruit on the foil and pat gently to compress the
fruit. Fold up the long foil flaps and make a wide double fold, pushing out
the excess air. Fold over the side edges and pinch to seal. Label and date the
package. Leaving the filling in the pie plate, set it on the fast-freeze shelf
of your freezer (if you have one), until the fruit is hard. Remove the pie
plate and return the fruit package to the freezer.
- To bake, line
a pie plate with a layer of thawed frozen pastry, brush with freshly made egg
glaze (1 egg or egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water) or fruit preserves.
Unwrap the frozen fruit packet (do not thaw) and set it in the pastry. Cut
steam vents in the rolled-out top crust. Moisten the edges of the lower crust,
then cover the pie with its top crust. Fold the edges of the top crust over
the lower one and pinch to seal. Mold the edge into a raised rim and flute. If
you wish, glaze the pie top with brushed-on beaten egg and a light sprinkling
of granulated sugar.
- Bake in the
lower third of a preheated 425 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat
to 350 degrees F, raise the pie to the center of the oven, and cover the
pastry edges with a foil frame if they seem to be browning too fast. Continue
baking for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and
the fruit tender. Serve warm for best texture and flavor.
Note: Tapioca occasionally presents a problem when used in fruit pies
topped by lattice pastry and frozen before baking because the tapioca
sometimes does not soften sufficiently and can remain hard after baking. To
avoid the problem, use cornstarch thickener for frozen lattice pies.
From:
The Perfect Pie by Susan Gold Purdy
(Bantam Doubleday Dell; June 2000; ISBN: 0767902629; Paperback)
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