Mock pie both a trick and a treat

The air is crisp and cold, and apples and cranberries are abundant, so what kind of pie could you possibly long for? Strawberry?

I know that doesn’t sound possible, but here is a fun thing to do with these in-season fruits, both of which we grow right here in Maine, to which we add a little pineapple from away. It may seem a little silly to make a Mock Strawberry Pie, but it is pretty tasty, and fooling around with grub is a time-honored activity. Our friend Ruth Thurston in Machias sent this recipe after we regaled you with a mock apple pie – the one made with crackers, remember? – on April Fool’s Day. So here we are: make-believe apples in April and make-believe strawberries in November.

The mixture doesn’t look like strawberries, but the aroma and flavor is reminiscent of them. I was all right as long as I kept my eyes closed. It reminded me of the time I made spaghetti sauce from yellow tomatoes. The flavor and texture were right, but I underestimated how unsettling it is to have an unfamiliar appearance. You wouldn’t think it would make such a difference.

You need to plan ahead for this. The filling sits for 12-24 hours to mingle the flavors. You will need a prebaked pie shell and whipped cream to put on the top. Under most circumstances, raw cranberries are not exactly a favorite fruit, but chopped up here and mixed with others, they do very well. Those who still have their old hand-crank grinder can use that, or you can pulse the apples and cranberries separately in a food processor.

We ought just to call this Cranberry, Apple and Pineapple Pie, and skip the strawberry business. Or just call it good.

Looking for …

Peggy Drinkwater in Greenbush is looking for “a one-skillet chow-mein-style recipe.” She has a pretty clear recollection of the recipe. She recalls that it was in a small, spiral-bound cookbook from the 1970s or earlier. It had chopped celery, chopped onions, soy sauce, bouillon, cooked meat like chicken, beef, or pork, and rice. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Cranberry, Apple and Pineapple Pie

1 prebaked pie shell

1 cup raw cranberries

1 1/2 cup raw apples, quartered, not peeled

1/2 cup crushed drained pineapple

3/4 cup sugar

Put the cranberries and apples through a food chopper, then mix in pineapple and sugar. Cover and put into the refrigerator overnight or for twenty-four hours. Spread into the pie shell, and serve topped with whipped cream.