An April Fool's Day Recipe Called, "Mock Apple Pie"

Welcome to “Wordless Tuesday!” Where there are no more words, just a mouth watering recipe which I know you have been waiting for…..

I can recall a recipe that my Mom taught me which we would sometimes create on April Fool’s Day. It was a dessert called Mock Apple Pie. This was a good joke for family and friends, as we would tell them that we made Apple Pie, and then the joke was on them as this is not made with any apples. Mock apple pie made its first appearance around the middle of the 19th century. As the North American settlers journeyed west, they yearned for the taste that reminded them of home: apple pie. Apples were hard to come by out in the wilderness, so those amazing pioneer women came up with a dessert that is surprisingly apple-y, considering that it contains neither apples nor apple juice. The recipe first appeared in Mrs. B.C. Whiting’s book, How We Cook In Los Angeles (1894) as “California Pioneer Apple Pie, in 1852.”

While the original recipe used soda crackers, Ritz saw a fabulous marking opportunity. During the Great Depression in the early 1930’s, apples were very expensive at that time, so Ritz adapted the recipe to use its own brand of Ritz crackers. The recipe was found on the back of the cracker box. Mock Apple Pie became a favorite throughout the 30’s and 40’s. 

So try the recipe and see if you can fool your family and friends too.  Enjoy!!!!   
 

"Mock Apple Pie"

Ingredients:
36 Ritz crackers, broken in large pieces (about 1 3/4 cups crumbs)
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pastry for 2-crust pie

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line glass pie plate with bottom of crust of pastry. Place crumbled crackers in pie plate on top of lined pastry. Mix sugar and cream of tartar in saucepan. Gradually stir in water until completely combined. Bring to boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes, without stirring. Add lemon juice and lemon zest. Allow mixture to cool. Pour syrup over crackers. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with spices. Put top crust on and seal edges. Cut vents into top crust. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Tastes just like a real apple pie.

Till Next Time………………………………...................

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