Oh my gosh! Mock cherry pie!

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

First of all, thanks, to those of you who instructed me about scalded raisins.

I have a recipe for mock cherry pie that calls for scalded raisins, among other things. It was the first time I've made this recipe and it was harderr than I thought it would be, even though I read the recipe thoroughly before I got started.

I sweated and cursed and swore and promised this would be the one and only time I'd ever make this pie because it couldn't possibly worth the work.

Was I ever wrong! It's delicious, and the cranberries that are part of the recipe give it an extra kick; the very last ingredient is 1/2 tsp. of almond extract and that really makes the pie...wow! And yes, I will make this again in the furture. It's supposed to be a "mock" cherry pie but this tastes better than the real thing.

I've had this recipes for years and for some reason never tried it out. I'd like to make it again but the cranberry season -- fresh, canned, or frozen -- is over. Can't wait till autumn so I can stock up on more fresh creanberries.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@FuzzyFace Well please post the recipe because I cannot think of anything better than cherry pie!

Well, a REAL black forest cake with cherries soaked in booze and real whipped cream and ganache. . . but that's a whole different deal. To DIE fo. The best one I ever had was at the restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel in LA. I had it every day for breakfast for a week.

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

ok, here goes (I hope)

ll before serving.

MOCK CHERRY PIE

3 cups cranberries

1 cup scalded raisins

1½ cups sugar

4 tbs flour

1 cup water

½ tsp almond extract

1 Pastry for 2-crust pie

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a saucepan, add water, and bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly.

Add cranberries and raisins, bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5.minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, add almond extract, and let cool (about 15-30 minutes).

Pour into prepared pie crust, cover with top crust, and bake in 425o oven for 15 minutes. Then lower temperature to 375o and continue baking for 30 minutes or until crust in lightly browned.

PS: I use store-bought pie crusts; I couldm't make one from sratch to save my life.

gunnergab · ‎12-30-2013

This sounds delicious. I know I have several bags of cranberries in the bottom of my freezer left over from last years holidays. I didn't know quite what to do with them. I hate to throw them out.(I was raised in the times you didn't throw anything away, you could always make something out of it!!) I'm going to make this over the weekend. Sounds really good. Thank you for posting.

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

I would like to suggest that you prepare the cranberries and raisins first; they can sit around while you get the rest of the ingredients ready (I found out the hard way :-) ) And don't limit yourself to the amount of almond extract; if you want to, you can add a little more, tasting--of course--to make sure you don't use too much.

I was tempted to use rum extract and I might do that next time I can get my hands on fresh cranberries.

I would also suggest that when fresh (the bagged up kind) comes back into the stores and you want to stock up, don't just throw the bag into the freezer. If you do, freezer burn will eventually ruin them. We have what we jokingly call our "suck and seal" machine--the Food Saver. Not only will your cranberries freeze but the vacuum created by the "seal" will keep you food amazingly fresh for a long time. We invested in one when they first came on the market, and it was money well spent.

Anyway, if you decide to try this recipe. please let us (me especially) know how it turns out.

In-x-s · ‎03-09-2010

It actually sounds pretty easy and if it's that good I'm game once cranberries come in season. However, I'm curious, how DO you scald raisins?? Can you post instructions or direct me to the thread that discusses it?

software · ‎06-08-2016

Sounds so great, glad it was successful.

I never seem to get a new recipe right the first time.

I'd go easy with the almond extract

You don't really want to taste it, as in "oh there's almond in here"

I use a half teaspoon in my huge pound cake, baked in a big angel food pan.

I just barely get a hint of it, really gives more depth to the flavor.

When I don't have any to add, doesn't taste the same.

You may want to try half teaspoon each of almond & vanilla.

Just to experiment.

But I'm sure it's perfect just the way it's written

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

Does it really taste like cherries?

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

deepwaterdotter · ‎03-09-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:
Does it really taste like cherries?

I have the same question. Maybe the tastiness of this recipe can stand on it's own as "Cranberry-Raisin Pie"?

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:
Does it really taste like cherries?
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It didn't, to me. It tasted exactly like what it was; i.e., a mixture of raisins cranberries, and the cranberry flavor was a little more noticeable than the raisin flavor.

The purpose of scalding the raisins (soaking or cooking them in water that is just below boiling. You can tell it's at the scalding stage when little bubbles start to form at the edge of the water) is to plump them up. If you like a more bumpy texture, soak the raisins for a little less than the recipe calls for. If you prefer a smoother texture, let the raisins really soak and plump up.

I hope that helps!