Apricot. That's the kind she made and I often wondered why she chose apricot. I assumed that it was the fruit of his choice. Once I went to the store in search of dried fruit for this project, I found that there weren't many choices. So...did she make apricot fried pies because Daddy really liked apricots or because he loved fried pies and that's the only fruit she could find? We'll never know unless my brother, Bob, enlightens me after reading this.
The first clue that this was a fried pie day was the smell of apricots cooking on the stove. I recall her boiling them in a saucepan for a while. This is the step I was most unsure about because I haven't yet found the recipe she used to make the fruit mash. Although I imagined she just used water, I figured she had to add sugar at some point because apricots are not the sweetest fruit on the tree. Ahhh...the Internet. What a weapon! I searched and quickly found a recipe that gave me an idea what to do.
I did find Momma's recipe for the crust and it was simple to do, probably because it called for so much butter. (She probably used margarine or as they used to call it, "oleo". The terms "butter" and "oleo" were used interchangeably.)
I can still see her moving quickly between the counter and the gas stove. It required one step in each direction. She would:
Quickly roll out a circle of dough about 5-6 inches in diameter.
Put a heaping spoonful of apricot mash in the middle.
Fold the crust over to make a half circle.
Crimp the edges with a fork to seal it.
Turn to the stove.
Gently lower the pie into the hot oil (or probably Crisco).
Turn back around to start the next batch.
Turn to the stove to check them just in time to turn them.
Turn back to the counter to finish the next one.
Over and over and over and over.
Back and forth. Back and forth. She was totally focused on the task.
I didn't fully appreciate why she ignored everything else when she was making these until I did it myself. My gosh, you don't have time for anything else! Once you begin this process, you'd better be ready! It only takes about 3 minutes for each pie to fry and if you turn away too long, those suckers burn! (I know because most of mine did burn slightly.)
I made them for our last Labor Day swim hoorah when an abbreviated part of the family would be together. I think they liked them. They said they were good, but by the time they ate them, the little delicacies had cooled off. I took some to work. (Teachers will eat anything!) They said they were good. They all said they were good...hmmm...were they just saying that?
Momma's were sensational! Mine were mediocre. But will I try them again? Not so sure. I don't really like to fry. Maybe if I find the rest of her recipe.
But you could try.
Momma's Fried Pie Crust
5 c. flour
1 c. + 1 T. Crisco
1 large can condensed milk (She always used Milnot. Can't find it here.)
1 egg
2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
There were no instructions, but here's what I did.
Mix flour, salt and sugar in large bowl. Cut in the Crisco. Mix the milk and egg together and pour it over the flour mixture. Blend until it forms a ball. Divide it into two balls and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for about an hour or more.
Makes about 16-20 pies.
When it's time to roll them out, slightly flatten the first ball and cut it into 8-10 wedges. (Leave the second dough ball in the frig until you're ready to use it. But in retrospect, I think I would have had it cut and ready to grab since the process moves so quickly.) Roll each wedge into a ball and flatten it on a floured surface. Roll it into a 5-6" circle. Fill with a slightly heaped T. of fruit. Fold and crimp the edges with a floured fork.
(You should probably try to get several of them ready to go before you heat the skillet. I used a cast iron skillet as Momma did for a more uniform temp. However, my ceramic stove doesn't allow the temperature to be regulated very well. Maybe that's why mine seemed to burn a bit.)
Fry two at a time in a skillet of hot oil for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Place on paper towels to soak up any extra oil.
Here is the recipe I used for the filling (well, sort of), courtesty of www.texascooking.com.
Grandma's Fried Fruit Pies
3 c. dried fruit
1 1/2 c. water
6 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. allspice (I didn't use this because I don't remember tasting allspice in Momma's pies.)
On very low heat, simmer the dried fruit in the water for 30-45 minutes, or until very tender. Add water if necessary to prevent scorching. Allow to cool; mash fruit slightly. Stir the sugar and spices. This step may be done in advance and refrigerated; however, warm up the fruit (microwave is fine) enough to take the chill off and make it workable before filling your pies.
Caveat: As I said, I didn't use allspice. I made two batches of fruit, 1 pkg. of dried apricots and 1 pkg. of mixed fruit. The apricots were better. Maybe I should have used 3 bags of fruit with more water and then the above recipe would have worked. As it was, I had to mathematically figure the proportionate amount of each ingredient and the fruit was a bit skimpy for the amount of dough. Probably using a lid would have made the fruit a little softer.)
