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Frozen Fruit Pie Filling

Source of Recipe


From "The Perfect Pie" by Susan G. Purdy



List of Ingredients



• 4 to 6 cups fresh fruit (washed, peeled if necessary, hulled or cored, and sliced if necessary0
  
• ½ to 1 cup granulated white or brown sugar (amount depends on type and sweetness of fruit)
  
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
  
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
  
• 1 to 3 tsp fresh lemon juice (amount depends on type and flavor of fruit)
  
• 3 to 3½ Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca* or cornstarch (amount depends on juiciness of fruit)
  






Instructions



1. 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.
   
   
2. To bake, line a pie plate with a layer of thawed frozen pastry, brush with freshly made egg glaze (one 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.
   
   
3. Bake in the lower third of a preheated 425° oven for 25 minutes.
   Reduce the heat to 350° and raise the pie to the center of the oven; 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 is tender. Serve warm for best texture and flavor.
   
   Makes enough for one 9-inch pie.
   
   






Final Comments


* 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.

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 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.