Pineapple-Apple Pie

Hi again everybody!

As promised, I'm back with a tremendous recipe for Pineapple-Apple Pie. It's really not at all hard to do, and the results are absolutely delicious. I used a couple of those store-bought, pre-made pie crusts (the kind you just unroll), but if you've got the time, patience and counter space to make dough from scratch, then by all means do so!

Pineapple-Apple Pie

(the pie filling)

1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks or crushed pineapple (in juice)

3/4 cup white sugar

3 TBS cornstarch

2 TBS whiskey (I used Jim Beam...use whatever you got!)

1 TBS fresh-grated ginger

1 TBS lemon juice

2 9-inch pie crusts (one for the pan, and one for the top)

egg wash (consisting of 1 egg, 1 TBS water, and 1 TBS milk, all whisked together)**

(the apple layer)

about 2 medium-sized Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into thin wedges

2 TBS dark brown sugar

1 TBS white sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Reserve 3 TBS of the juice from the canned pineapple. Put the rest of the contents of the can into a saucepan, along with the 3/4 cup sugar, the ginger, the whiskey, and the lemon juice. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil, over medium heat.

Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with the reserved 3 TBS of pineapple juice. Using a fork, whisk this mixture VERY thoroughly, otherwise there will be lumps in your pie filling.

When the contents of the saucepan have reduced by about 25 percent (it doesn't have to be exact), whisk the cornstarch/juice mixture one more time, then immediately pour it into the saucepan. Use a wooden spoon, and stir it constantly (be gentle---you don't want to crush up the pineapple too much). Allow it to boil gently for 1-2 minutes. During this time, it will become extremely thick. After it's thickened, remove from heat...no need to cover it. It's best to allow it to cool for a little while, anyway.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the brown sugar, 1 TBS white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a zipper-type plastic bag (the gallon-size ones work perfectly). Throw in the sliced apples, and shake the bag thoroughly, to coat the apple pieces with the sugar mixture.

Press one of the pie crusts into a 9-inch pie pan. Using a fork, gently poke a few holes all over the bottom of the crust (be careful not to puncture the pan!). Place this empty crust into the 425-degree oven, and "blind-bake" (partially cook the crust) for about 5-10 minutes. When parts of the bottom of the crust begin to form bubbles, it's time to take it out of the oven. Remove the partially-baked crust (use an oven mitt...it's going to be hot!) from the oven, and use that same fork to gently pop any small bubbles. You want the bottom of the crust to be flat.

Arrange the coated, sliced apples all around the inside of the pie crust, making up to two layers (around 1/2-inch deep). Then, use a large spoon to scoop the pineapple filling into the crust (it will probably be too thick to pour easily). Use the bottom of the spoon to even-out the top of the filling.

Brush the egg-wash all around the top edge of the bottom crust. If you don't have a pastry brush, you can use a BRAND NEW paint brush (just be sure you've never painted with it!). The egg-wash will act as an adhesive for the top crust.

At this point, you may either cut the remaining pie crust (using a pastry wheel, or a pizza cutter) into strips, and arrange it on top of the pie as a "lattice" crust; OR you can simply flop the entire, uncut crust onto the base. If you use the top crust "whole", just be sure to make a few small slits in it to allow steam to escape.

Using your fingers, crimp the top crust to the bottom crust, so they're well-joined. It doesn't have to be pretty...the looks of the pie will change as it cooks, anyway. Use a kitchen scissor, or a small, sharp knife, to trim off any excess pieces of the top crust.

Put the whole pie onto a cookie sheet (it makes things easier to clean up, if the pie happens to boil over), and bake it in the 425-degree oven for about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes open up the oven and take a look. The top and edges of the crust should be a nice, even golden-brown. If it doesn't look that way yet, close the oven door and give it 10 more minutes.

When done, remove the pie (still on the cookie sheet), and place it on a rack to cool. The pie should be either at room-temperature, or refrigerated, for serving.

Just a hint: a scoop (or two) of ice cream plopped onto a slice of this stuff....whoa, baby!

(** a word about egg-wash: this is a standard formula for egg-wash. It may or may not contain milk or cream, but it will always contain egg, and usually a bit of water. It's primarily a "glue" that holds things together...it helps pie crusts stay together, and it adheres coatings to foods that are going to be deep-fried. It also adds a nice, golden shine to foods, like Challah and other breads. Also, it adds a bit of egg flavor and a slight chewiness to things. Problem is, you're going to have WAY more egg-wash than you need...there's no way to use HALF an egg. So, expect a bit to be left over. Or better still: make two pies!)