Flavors of Kentucky

1934 package Ritz crackers

When my brothers and I were growing up, our mother went to the grocery store on Fridays. She had a list and a certain amount of cash in her purse – and rarely did she buy anything that wasn’t on her list. There were no mid-week trips to the market, so if an item wasn’t in the pantry, she did without.

Mom almost always bought Ritz crackers and when she wanted to make a pie - and didn’t have apples – she made mock apple pie from the recipe on the box. Mom made pie crust from scratch so she could mix that up in a flash with flour and shortening. Since there were no apples to peel, the pie was ready to go into the oven in minutes.

The mock apple pie recipe appeared on the box soon after the crackers hit the store shelves in 1934. This year as the Ritz cracker celebrates its 75th anniversary, Kraft Foods is introducing two variations to the classic recipe: upside down mock apple pie and chocolate walnut mock apple pie.

Here’s the original recipe.

Ritz mock apple pie
Pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie
36 Ritz crackers, coarsely broken (about 1-3/4 cups crumbs)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Grated peel of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Prehat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half of the pastry and place in 9-inch pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in crust; set aside.
Mix sugar and cream of tartar in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1-3/4 cups water until well blended. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes. Add lemon peel and juice; cool. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie. Trim; seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.

To make chocolate-walnut mock apple pie: Prepare as directed, sprinkling ½ cup each chopped walnuts and semi-sweet chocolate chunks over cracker crumbs before covering with sugar syrup.

Upside-down mock apple pie
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/3 cups water
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoos fresh lemon juice
1/2 stick butter or margarine, divided
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup pecan halves
1 package (15 ounces) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix granulated sugar and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Bring to boil on high heat; simmer on low 15 minutes. Stir in zest and juice; cool 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; pour into 9-inch pie plate. Tilt to coat cottom and side of pie plate. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Starting in center of pie plate, arrange nuts, tops side down in circular pattern on bottom.

Line pie plate with 1 crust as directed on package; place cracker crumbs in crust. Pour sigar syrup over crumbs. Cut remaining butter into small pieces; place over filling. Sprinkle with cinnamon; cover with remaining crust. Seal and flute edge.

Cut several slits in top crust to permit steam to escape. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Place serving plate over pie; carefully invert pie onto plate. Remove pie plate. Serve pie warm or cool completely before serving.

Note: To prevent crust from overbrowning, cover edge with foil near end of baking time, if necessary. To reheat pie before serving, bake in a 200-degree oven for 20 minutes, or just until warmed.