Winter Fruit Pie Recipes

WINTER FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Peel, core, and chop apples. Drain peaches and pears; coarsely chop. In large bowl, stir together chopped fruit, cranberry sauce, mincemeat, and margarine or butter. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into fruit mixture; set aside.
• In medium bowl, stir flour and 1 teaspoon salt. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor-fashion, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 5 to 6 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork after each addition until dough is just moist enough to hold together. Divide into 2 pieces, one slightly larger.
• On floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll larger piece of dough about 1 1/2 inches larger all around than inverted 9- or 10-inch pie plate; ease into pie plate. Trim edge, leaving 1-inch overhang. Spoon filling into crust.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll remaining dough into a 12-inch round; cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Place half of strips over filling; do not seal ends. Fold every other strip back halfway from center. Place center cross strip on pie and replace folded part of strips. Fold back alternate strips; place second cross strip in place. Repeat to weave lattice. Trim strips even with edge of pie plate. Turn overhang up over ends of strips; pinch to seal; make decorative edge. Brush lattice and edge with milk. Sprinkle lattice with sugar.
• Bake pie 40 to 50 minutes until filling is hot and bubbling and crust is golden. Cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes to prevent crust from overbrowning. Place pie on wire rack to cool.

WINTER FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Prepare your pie crust and set aside.
• Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Peel and slice the pears and apples. When using pears it is best to have ones that are firm, they will retain their shape in the pie and not turn to mush.In a large bowl, combine the raisins, cranberries and sliced fruit, sprinkle the vanilla over and stir.
• Mix together the dry ingredients.
• Toss the dry ingredients with the fruit, coating the fruit mixture completely.Scoop into the prepared bottom pie crust, mounding the fruit in the middle slightly.
• Take the tablespoon of butter and dot over the top of the fruit.
• Top the pie with the remaining crust, crimp the edges to seal and cut pie vents on the top.
• Bake at 425 for 10 minutes on the bottom rack of your oven, making sure to cover the edges of your pie with a cover or tin foil.
• This pie has to bake a long time and the edges WILL get too brown!
• Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake the pie for another 50-60 minutes, removing the tinfoil for the last 20 minutes or so, and bake until the top is nicely browned and the filling is bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.

DEEP-DISH WINTER FRUIT PIE WITH WALNUT CRUMB

Steps:

• To make the pie pastry, put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stir to combine, then put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Add the butter to the flour mixture and toss to evenly coat. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, a food processor, an electric mixer, or your hands, just until the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Stir the water and lemon juice together, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Dump the dough onto a well-floured work surface and press it into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Roll the chilled dough into a 14-inch disk, then line a 9 or 10 by 3-inch springform pan with the rolled-out dough. Patch any holes and trim off any dough that hangs over the edges of the pan. Chill for an additional 30 minutes while you prepare the crumb topping and the fruit filling.
• To make the walnut crumb topping, mix the flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then work it in with your hands until the texture of crumbs. Put the topping in the refrigerator while you make the fruit filling.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
• To make the fruit filling, remove the stem from each fig, then boil the figs in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Slice each fig into 4 to 5 pieces, put them in a large bowl, and add the apples, pears, and cranberries. Separately, rub the sugar and cornstarch together, then add to the fruit and gently toss until evenly coated.
• Transfer the filling to the pie shell and top with the walnut crumb. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the crumb is golden, the fruit juices are bubbling thickly around the edges, and the fruit is tender when pierced with a wooden skewer. If the crumb is getting too dark, cover it with foil.
• Storage: Covered with a tea towel, the pie will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Spooned into a bowl and drizzled with chilled cream, it makes a wonderful breakfast.

FRUIT PIE WITH CRUMB TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 5 cups blueberries or other fruit with 3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pour into pie shell; sprinkle with 1/2 recipe Crumb Topping.
• Place on foil-lined baking sheet in lower third of oven; reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake until fruit bubbles and crust browns, 1 1/2 hours. If topping begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Let cool 6 hours.

WINTER FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Prepare pie crust according to package directions for TWO-CRUST PIE using 9- inch pie pan. Place 1 prepared crust in pan press in bottom and up sides of pan, leaving 1/2 inch of bottom crust extending beyond edge of pan.Heat oven to 425°F. In large saucepan, combine cranberries, raisins and water. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Reduce heat simmer about 10 minutes or until cranberries pop open. Remove from heat. Stir in orange juice, 2 tablespoons margarine, orange peel, 1 cup sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice mix well. Add egg and cracker crumbs beat well. Pour into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust in spoke fashion brush with 1 tablespoon melted margarine. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.Bake at 425°F. for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool with ice cream. Nutrition Per Serving: Calories 500 Protein 5g Carbohydrate 64g Fat 26g Sodium 250mgFrom "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off® Cookbook." Copyright 2004 General Mills. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.