The Essential Guide To Baking

PIE FILLINGS TIPS

FRUIT PIES:

I. Save the drained juice from frozen or canned fruit and use fruit juice instead of water in

your recipe. This is only a good idea if the juice does not have a lot of sugar in it.

II. Add fresh butter to your fruit pie filling after it has been cooked. Or dot pieces of

butter over the fruit before you place on the top crust.

III. Don't cut apples pieces too thin when you are using fresh apples. Larger chunks will hold

together and have more apple flavor.

IV. Use a little red food color and a drop or two of almond extract in your cherry pies when

you use fresh or canned cherries.

V. Use a little yellow food color and a teaspoon of lemon juice in your apricot and peach

fruit pies. The lemon juice will enhance their flavor and also help keep a bright color.

VI. Use cinnamon and a little clove to flavor raisin pie. Let raisins sit in hot water to

plump before you cook them in a filling.

VII. Mix a few raisins with fresh chopped apples and make a easy, new apple pie.

VIII. Apply any glaze, for shine, after the fruit pie is baked.

IX. Do not over−cook pie fillings, especially those with corn starch used as the thickener.

The filling will break down and quickly become watery. Over cooking fillings made with flour

will cause the filling to be thick.

X. Add the thickening mixture as soon as the water/sugar comes to a boil and cook until the

mixture becomes clear and thick enough to coat your spoon or whisk.

XI. Add canned fruit pie fillings to a pre−baked pie crust and either top with pre−baked

pastry cut−outs or whipped cream. When you use canned fruit pie fillings, you don't have to

bake the pie.

XII. Dried apricots, apples and peaches make excellent fruit pies. Always plump them until

soft in boiling water before making into a pie filling.

CREAM PIES:

I. Cook your cream pie filling in a double boiler or in a very thick sided pot. Cream fillings

scorch easily when cooked over direct heat. A copper pot is best. It is very important to clean

a copper pot each time you use it. Use a mixture of vinegar and salt to clean the copper.

II. Melted chocolate morsels or baking chocolate added to your favorite vanilla cream filling

will make a good chocolate pie filling.

III. Stir a little canned fruit pie filling into your vanilla cream filling to make a delicious

fruit cream pie.

Baking Pies