Adina's Gingery Apple-Raisin Pie:

Contributed by Adina (spyralfox@aol.com)

A little on the spicy side, with extra sweetness from the raisins. I have also made a fat-free version by using a covered casserole and skipping the topping altogether. I don't make this often, however -- I really mean it when I say the apple slices should be THIN, and cutting them thin enough can take a long time. The flavor and texture are both slightly different if you use thicker chunks of apples. Luckily, it freezes well.

Materials

Ingredients:

• 2 pre-baked, deep-dish, pie shells [a 12 x 12 baking dish, may be substituted]
• 12 c of THINLY sliced Granny Smith apples (as thin as you can make them; one large apple will yield about 1 c of thin slices.)
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1 1/2 c dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp to 2 tbsp ground ginger (more if you like the flavor, less if it's freshground)
• 1 1/2 c blonde raisins (aka "golden raisins", "sultanas" -- not the dark ones!)
• 1 c unsifted unbleached flour
• 4 tbsp butter (optional)

Other stuff:

• 1 brand new, clean, sanitary, garbage sack
• your very largest mixing bowl (or, if you don't have one, the kitchen sink)
• a second, smaller bowl (4 c capacity or so)
• aluminum foil
• sharp paring knife (for preparing those THINLY sliced apples)
• fork (to test done-ness)
• drip-catching pan (line with more foil for easier clean-up)

Instructions:

After slicing the apples, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place drip-catching pan in lower rack

Prepare Pie Filling:

Line the huge bowl with the open garbage sack or put the garbage sack into your sink. The bowl/sink is only there to support the sack. [I usually put the whole assembly in the sink, for reasons that will become apparent]

In the sack, combine all apples, lemon juice, white sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and raisins. Add ONLY 3/4 c of the brown sugar and ONLY 1 & 1/2 tbsp of the cinnamon to the mixture

Mix everything THOROUGHLY, using your sanitary clean hands in the nice new sanitary bag. Expect to be coated with pie filling up to the elbows. [note: this may sound messy, but it's the only way you'll be able to mix together that much stuff without destroying the apple slices. I periodically reach outside the bag, and rearrange the contents a bit, since things tend to settle into the corners]

As soon as the mixture is even, distribute it into the pie shells or casserole dish [caution: if you let it stand, the sugars will "suck" more juices out of the apples because of osmosis. It'll taste the same, but it's messier to pour]

Prepare Pie Topping:

In the small bowl, combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon with the flour. Work in the (0ptional) butter with your fingers until the mixture is even. Sprinkle it evenly over the filling.

Cook

Place pies in preheated oven, and check that the drip pan is in place. After about 25 minutes, cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake the pies for about one hour, until the apples are tender when stabbed with a fork.

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This page last updated 9/4/1999

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