Haskap & Dried Apple Pie

For the first time we picked enough haskap berries to be able to make a pie. Since they are so tart, I decided I would cut them with some apples. Because they are very juicy, I thought it might help if the apples were dried.

This is the first haskap pie I have ever made, and while the results were good and were consumed with enthusiasm, there were some minor points for improvement. I did not add the sugar suggested in the recipe, just the honey, but next time I would. They really are SO SOUR.

The other problem was that it leaked all over. Bake this pie on a tray! This site notes that haskap pie may leak less if the berries are frozen then thawed. Since even with 5 haskap shrubs it took me about a week to accumulate enough berries, that may not be a bad idea. However, the pie was fine with fresh berries - just messy. I used ready-made pie crust for this, which perhaps was not quite as robust as if I had had time to make my own.

People really liked the texture of this pie as well as the flavour - mincemeat was the comparison that kept coming up. Also like mincemeat, it is rich and intensely flavoured. Smaller pieces than usual may be in order. 

8 servings
1 hour prep time; 1 hour bake time

pastry for a double pie; maybe this one

60 grams (2 ounces; 1 cup) dried apples
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup sugar, OPTIONAL
1/4 cup water
4 cups haskap berries
1/4 cup minute tapioca

Make the pastry and let it rest.

Put the apples, honey, sugar if using, and water into a pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then cover and let cool.

While the apples cool, wash and pick over the berries. Stir them into the cooled apples, then the tapioca. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Roll out the pastry as described in the recipe, and scrape in the filling. Top with the remaining rolled out pastry, and seal it well. Cut some steam vents and bake the pie for 50 minutes to an hour, until well browned.

Posted in: Ontario Food