Mock Cherry Pie

[Eleanor Rose]

photo by @NH Civil War Gal on next page​

Recipes for cranberry-raisin pie, often known as Mock Cherry Pie, date from the late 19th Century. One of its appeals was that you could make it when no berries were in season, because cranberries keep well (that goes double, of course, for raisins). Another was that its taste does eerily mimic cherries, at least if you mix the fruit evenly. This recipe is adapted from "Southern Cooking" by Mrs. S.R. Dull.


Mock Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups halved cranberries

3/4 cup raisins

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Pastry for 1 (8-inch) double pie crust

1 tablespoon oil


Directions:

In bowl mix sugar and flour. Bring water to boil in saucepan. Add flour mixture and return to boil, stirring to prevent lumps. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cranberries, raisins, butter and vanilla.

Line 8-inch pie plate with pastry and brush with oil. Pour filling into pie shell and cover with top crust or lattice. Moisten edges of pastry and seal. Pierce top crust generously. Bake at 375 degrees 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Mrs. Lynch's Mock Cherry Pie

One cup of cranberries, cut in halves; shake seeds out. One cup raisins cut up, one tablespoon flour, one cup of sugar and stir well together. One cup boiling water, a pinch of salt, a little vanilla, eight drops almond extract. Bake with two crusts.

Source: Victory Cookbook from the 1800's

 

[Eleanor Rose]

 

[Deleted User CS]

Miss Eleanor. Thanks for sharing this wonderful and delicious looking recipe for mock cherry pie. Cherry pie is one of my favorite pies but this recipe is one I have never heard of but would certainly give it consideration and tempt my palate with a piece of it. Question: when constructing your pie crest are you and most people in the South more inclined to use real lard instead of butter or Crisco? I find that a crust made with lard is much thicker and flakier. David.

 

[AshleyMel]

Mrs. Lynch's Mock Cherry Pie

One cup of cranberries, cut in halves; shake seeds out. One cup raisins cut up, one tablespoon flour, one cup of sugar and stir well together. One cup boiling water, a pinch of salt, a little vanilla, eight drops almond extract. Bake with two crusts.

Source: Victory Cookbook from the 1800's

I wonder how difficult it is to remove the seeds from a cranberry?

I've never tried.
When we make cranberry sauce we just cook the whole berry!
This does sound delish but who needs the extra work! LOL!

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

Sounds almost like a mincemeat pie given the raisins and use of the tart cranberries - similar to when folks put orange rind into some mincemeat recipes coupled with raisins and the like. Thanks for sharing @Eleanor Rose

 

[CSA Today]

Pinterest​

Recipes for cranberry-raisin pie, often known as Mock Cherry Pie, date from the late 19th Century. One of its appeals was that you could make it when no berries were in season, because cranberries keep well (that goes double, of course, for raisins). Another was that its taste does eerily mimic cherries, at least if you mix the fruit evenly. This recipe is adapted from "Southern Cooking" by Mrs. S.R. Dull.


Mock Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups halved cranberries

3/4 cup raisins

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Pastry for 1 (8-inch) double pie crust

1 tablespoon oil


Directions:

In bowl mix sugar and flour. Bring water to boil in saucepan. Add flour mixture and return to boil, stirring to prevent lumps. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cranberries, raisins, butter and vanilla.

Line 8-inch pie plate with pastry and brush with oil. Pour filling into pie shell and cover with top crust or lattice. Moisten edges of pastry and seal. Pierce top crust generously. Bake at 375 degrees 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Yum, Yum.

 

[donna]

Always had Mock Apple pie but not mock cherry pie. Have had cranberries and raisins together.

Thanks for post.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I was going to try this, this weekend until I have to "shake the seeds out of cranberries." Right up there with stoning raisins which was an all day affair for mince pies in the 1800s. But I LOVE reading these recipes!

 

[mofederal]

I do love cranberries. I know I would love this pie. Why not call this cranberry pie. Either way. I love cranberries in all of their forms. Thanks for posting this wonderful recipe @Eleanor Rose.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Because I tend to be a science nerd and cranberry lover, I've obsessed on this pie today. I had a bag of cranberries and I took out some this evening and cut them crosswise and length wise. They have tiny little stones or pips. I discovered cutting them lengthwise is best for taking stones out. But there is no shaking them out. They are wet so they cling to the cranberry. But I could take scrape them out easily with a knife as long as they are cut lengthwise.

So I will make this pie and I'm going to get Snowcap Lard and make the dough this weekend!

 

[Eleanor Rose]

@AshleyMel & @NH Civil War Gal, most of these recipes suggest using a colander to shake out the seeds. I think Tina is on to something with cutting the cranberries crosswise and length wise and scraping out the seeds.

@christian soldier, most Southern cooks would likely disown me, but I'm a Crisco shortening girl in the kitchen. However, truth is you can't beat lard for creating a thick and flaky pie crust.

 

[Deleted User CS]

@AshleyMel & @NH Civil War Gal, most of these recipes suggest using a colander to shake out the seeds. I think Tina is on to something with cutting the cranberries crosswise and length wise and scraping out the seeds.

@christian soldier, most Southern cooks would likely disown me, but I'm a Crisco shortening girl in the kitchen. However, truth is you can't beat lard for creating a thick and flaky pie crust.

Thanks for the information. By the way, I find it hard to believe that any Southern cook would disown you with all of those great and award winning Southern recipes you have presented on the food forum!!! David.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I bought seedless raisins yesterday to try to cut down on the pip factor in the pie. I am going to use Crisco this time because I found I have some unused packs, and @Eleanor Rose's mention about the colander got me thinking. I'm going to do my cutting and scraping with the knife point for the cranberry seeds, but I'm also going to rinse AND shake them in the colander. Maybe the water will help wash the some of the seeds away.

 

[donna]

Good luck with your pie.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I will take a picture of it and post it.

 

[AshleyMel]

I will take a picture of it and post it.

Yes! Please do! I am so intrigued by this as well!
I am betting this this is going to be so delicious no matter what!
I'm also wondering if frozen cranberries could be used? Or what about whole berry cranberry sauce?
This is one heck of a recipe!

 

[Waterloo50]

Great recipe but that's an awful lot of sugar, still I expect that it's needed especially as cranberries can be really sour.

 

[Waterloo50]

Because I tend to be a science nerd and cranberry lover, I've obsessed on this pie today. I had a bag of cranberries and I took out some this evening and cut them crosswise and length wise. They have tiny little stones or pips. I discovered cutting them lengthwise is best for taking stones out. But there is no shaking them out. They are wet so they cling to the cranberry. But I could take scrape them out easily with a knife as long as they are cut lengthwise.

So I will make this pie and I'm going to get Snowcap Lard and make the dough this weekend!

I'm on my way over, please save me some pie...

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I'm on my way over, please save me some pie...

I'll save you two pieces!