"Let's Pretend Its Apple Pie"

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Forum Host
Joined
May 12, 2010
Location
Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
Many foods during the War in the South were hard to obtain. Many times the Southern homemaker had to develop recipes without a main ingredient. One such was "Pretend Apple Pie" or also called "Mock Apple Pie".

"Let's Pretend Apple Pie"

1 dozen saltine crackers
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
cinnamon and/or nutmeg to taste
butter
pastry for 2 crust pie

Combine crackers, cold water, sugar, lemon juice, and spices in a bowl. Stir, Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter and cover with the top crust. Prick the crust and flute the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Saltine crackers are an 1870s improvement, so the southern homemaker would have used hardtack or soda crackers. Hardtack was made with flour and water, no shortening. Soda crackers were made with shortening and bicarbonate of soda. They were in widespread use during the war. Saltines which came later are leavened with both soda and yeast.

From: "Confederate Home Cooking" by Patricia B. Mitchell.
 
Another version of "Mock Apple Pie" is from a brochure of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service from Corydon, Indiana. I got this several years ago when lived in Indiana.

Mock Apple Pie (Zucchini)

Cook 15 minutes till tender in the pan:

8 cups peeled , cored and sliced zucchini
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour into a 9 x 13 pan.

Topping:

3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup melted butter.
Mix together and crumble over top of zucchini mixture.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees.

This is a delicious pie so you should give it a try.
 
Many foods during the War in the South were hard to obtain. Many times the Southern homemaker had to develop recipes without a main ingredient. One such was "Pretend Apple Pie" or also called "Mock Apple Pie".

"Let's Pretend Apple Pie"

1 dozen saltine crackers
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
cinnamon and/or nutmeg to taste
butter
pastry for 2 crust pie

Combine crackers, cold water, sugar, lemon juice, and spices in a bowl. Stir, Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter and cover with the top crust. Prick the crust and flute the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Saltine crackers are an 1870s improvement, so the southern homemaker would have used hardtack or soda crackers. Hardtack was made with flour and water, no shortening. Soda crackers were made with shortening and bicarbonate of soda. They were in widespread use during the war. Saltines which came later are leavened with both soda and yeast.

From: "Confederate Home Cooking" by Patricia B. Mitchell.


This sounds slightly better than sloosh. I'll give it a whirl.
 
Bumping Mock Apple Pie for Anna Elizabeth. She has some of ingredients at work. She can try to put what she has together.

Hmm...I've got sugar packets in the pantry and lemon slices in the fridge...couple that with the saltines at my desk I've got a decent start. I could scare up some butter pats and cinnamon from the coffee bar upstairs. Now all I need is the pie crust...hmm...wonder if the Duane Reade downstairs carries that in their frozen section?!
 
Hmm...I've got sugar packets in the pantry and lemon slices in the fridge...couple that with the saltines at my desk I've got a decent start. I could scare up some butter pats and cinnamon from the coffee bar upstairs. Now all I need is the pie crust...hmm...wonder if the Duane Reade downstairs carries that in their frozen section?!
You are almost there.
 
This sounds a little different. I wouldn't mind trying it, but otherwise, it doesn't sound like it would taste anything like an apple. I have never heard of this. I'm not surprised though. Thanks for posting this @donna.
 
Anna Elizabeth did you ever make Mock Apple Pie? I thought about it after seeing Mock Cherry Pie thread.

I never did as there was no pie crust downstairs in the Duane Reade :frown:

However, I did make a tasty crumble with with oatmeal cookies, lemon juice, cinnamon, raw sugar and half & half. I microwaved it for about 30 seconds and it was was quite tasty :thumbsup:
 
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