Cupboard Harvest Pie

Desserts & Chocolate
This pie recipe is perfect for using up leftover dried fruits that seem to accumulate in your cupboards. You can use any type and combination of dried fruits. They will plump up when you cook them with fresh apples or pears by absorbing their juices so the pie needs no thickeners.
Cupboard Harvest Pie

Ingredients

  • 6 large just ripe apples (or 8 large pears) peeled and cored, sliced chunky
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 c dried cherries
  • 1/2 c dried apricots
  • 1/2 c dried golden raisins
  • 1/2 c dried raisins or currants
  • 1/2 lemon juiced and finely grated rind
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp powder ginger
  • pinch ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • white sugar for sprinkling
  • Flaky pastry for a 9” double-crust pie. (I’ve included the lard pie crust recipe I used. It makes three crusts, so you’ll have one extra one which opens a world of possibilities.)

Directions

  1. Put all the ingredients, except the pie crust, in a heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring periodically. As the fresh fruit releases its juices, the dried fruit will absorb them. Be careful not to scorch the filling. If it gets too dry, add a little bit of water. Cook until the apples/pears are tender. Cool completely.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 °. Line a 9” pie shell with pastry. Fill the pie shell with the filling mounding it slightly in the center. Add the top crust, seal the edges and cut four vents in the top to release excess moisture. Use the scraps to make pastry decorations, if you like.
  3. Wet a pastry brush slightly an egg wash/egg whites/egg yolk mixed with a little water and brush the top crust and sprinkle it with sugar. Bake pie until the pastry is nicely browned about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cool slightly. Serve with gingered creme fraiche.
Yield: 1 9" pie, eight servings

Notes

Use whatever dried fruits you want to get rid of to make this pie as long as you have 2 cups worth.