I started baking early this morning–just after six o’clock. I want to deliver pies after lunch, and I wanted these fruit pies to have time to cool. Yesterday afternoon, I chatted with my mom and one of my sisters about Craisins–you know–the little dried cranberries in a bag. To me, cranberries and apples together sounded good, and they both agreed that it would work in a pie. My sister, Kim, though, inspired me to “plump up” the Craisins with some liquid.
That is how I got the “Jack” in my Cranberry Apple Jack Pie. Even though water would have worked just fine, why wouldn’t I soak them in Jack Daniels if I could? So I did. And that’s part of the reason I had to make two pies. I made the little one for myself to taste. Those berries soaked over night. These pies are headed to an assisted living place this afternoon, and I don’t want anyone to overdo it on the “Jack.”
Both pies have homemade crusts, which I was thankful to have in the fridge from yesterday. It really only took three, because I used leaf cut outs instead of a full top crust on each pie.
About those leaf cut outs, I got the loveliest gift from two friends over the weekend.
My husband and I took his sister out for her birthday at a local Thai restaurant. We were headed to see a show afterward. While we were waiting for our food, our friend, Jay, saw us and said he had something for me in his car. Turns out, Jay and Ann, two former pie recipients, had gone in together and gotten me a birthday gift! Nice! It was a bag of pie-making goodies: a pretty red pie plate (which I had seen and wished for in the store), a mini-pie pan, and some pastry cutters. It was perfect, and I was so excited to use the mini pan and the cutters today.
I was worried that the leaves would burn, but they did great. The small pie’s crust was a bit brown, but that would be easy to adjust with practice.
I think this pie just looks like fall. I am so pleased with those cut outs. I am thinking of which pie(s) I’ll put them on this Thanksgiving. It’s fun to think about what to bake for the holidays. I wonder if I could make turkey pie?
Does anyone out there have a famous holiday pie? The one that, if it’s not on the table, it’s not Thanksgiving? Let me know so I can practice making it.
45 pies done.
10 days to go.
Sleepy baker might just go back to bed. Yawn…
fortyandtwentyblackbirds 
Your pie journey has been interesting and in case I don’t get back on facebook – an early Happy Birthday!!
Thank you, Aunt Joyce!
That’s a great looking pie, with the leaves on the crust. I’d like to get the recipe for this one – the one with the Jack-soaked Craisins…Apples and cranberries sound like they’d be great together, with some vanilla ice cream.
It was pretty good. You could DEFINITELY taste the whiskey. Vanilla ice cream makes every pie better. I will see if I can remember the “recipe.”