As we mentioned yesterday, apples are at their peak right now! And, depending on where you are in the country, the same goes for pears, quince, and even some late stone fruit. So stock up on fruit now at inexpensive farm stands, and freeze some pie filling.
We loved this tip from Sunset about freezing pie filling ahead. Their article is all about freezing apricots; their season is so fleeting! But this could work for pears, apples, and other fruit as well.
Just cut up and slice your apples and toss them with whatever you put in your pie filling. Then freeze in a greased pie pan and, when the apples are hard, lift them out and wrap for long-term freezing. Then when you want to bake a pie all you have to do is plunk that ready-frozen chunk of homemade pie filing in a crust!
Do you ever do this? We're tempted to try it; we love apples so much, and this would help us bake a lot more of it in the late winter.
• Get the recipe for make-ahead pie filling: Summer Pie, Any Time at Sunset
Related: Five Things You Can Do Right Now to Get Ready for Thanksgiving
(Image: James Carrier/Sunset)
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That is such an amazing picture & idea. I totally never thought of that - PLUS would make thanksgiving preparations so much easier. Make wrap and freeze and just plunk in the oven like a storebought!
Do you think the defrosting process would create even more liquid than normal and result in a soggier pie? (particularly apples)
I wanted to do this with pears a while back, but read that those must be frozen in syrup. But if this works for apples, it's a great idea!
BrooklynBaker - When I've done it before I anticipated some extra liquid so I put an extra layer of crumbled cookies between the tart/pie shell and the filling. That soaked cookie layer is my favorite part!
wow
What a great idea! I love that picture.
After doing some internet research, I just froze a bunch of apples for an apple crisp I want to make this weekend. The instructions were to dunk the peeled apples slices in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice, drain, then freeze. The difference is that I am to thaw the apples the night before, so the crisp topping won't get burnt while the frozen apples are cooking in the oven. We'll see how it goes!
I wish I'd done this with summer fruit! (strawberry rhubard, blueberries) Apples are consistently available all winter in NY. Although this is a great way to make ahead holiday pies.
I guess with super wet fruit, it may be a problem to freeze the filling directly in the crust. However, my family freezes apple and strawberry-rhubarb pies all the time with the filling already tucked into the pastry (unbaked). It eliminates a step above and I've never had any soggy crust this way....
Are the baking times the same if the crust is room temp and the filling is frozen?
Thanks syrupandhoney, that sounds like a yummy solution!
Does anyone know where that absolutely gorgeous pie dish is from?