Don't Judge a Pie by Its Photo

The Festive Cranberry Apricot Pie was one that I had seen pictured in the Better Homes and Gardens 75^th Anniversary Edition Cookbook.  The picture showed a beautiful pie with leaves cut out of crust decorating the crust edge and a nice display of more leaf cut outs in the center of the pie.  The picture had me hooked.  I was not particularly interested in the contents of this pie as much as trying out a pie that could just look pretty because of its adornments.  Didn’t my mom always tell me not to judge a book by its cover?  Should the same be true for pies?    

Ingredients

The recipe for this pie calls for a double pastry crust, although the top crust is not used in the traditional way.  The bottom crust I rolled out and then lined my pie plate.  The top crust I rolled out and then used a small, leaf-shaped cookie cutter to cut out several dozen leaf shapes. 

Leaves ready to be artfully placed

Setting the crust leaves aside, I mixed up my filling and poured it into my pie plate.  Here is where disappointment number 1 begins.  The cranberries and apricots did not fill the 9-inch pie plate, which the recipe specifically mentioned to use.  So rather than a pie full to overflowing with beautiful apricots and cranberries, I had a two-thirds full crust.  I kept hoping I was filling a muffin tin with batter and while baking the pie filling would magically rise to a delightful dome, or at least rise up even with the edge of the crust. No such luck.  After baking, my pie looked even more concave.

Waiting for magic to happen...

My second disappointment may have been tied to my first, as the leaf shapes I had cut out an then placed artfully on the top of my pie, did not brown or firm up.  Ick.  The edge of the crust, lined with leaves, was gorgeous, but it did not follow suit that the leaves placed on the center of the pie were also gorgeous. 

Notice the contrast between the leaf shapes on the edge of the crust and those in the center of the pie.

The final disappointment for this pie was the taste.  While it was no surprise to me that it would taste like a Thanksgiving pie, I secretly hoped it would not taste like Thanksgiving.  Yes, I agree this is a silly disappointment, but I wanted the mild flavor of the apricots and the tangy flavor of the cranberries to shine through and make a bright pie eating experience.  Instead the pumpkin spice seasoning, called for in the recipe, overpowered the fruit. 

Final verdict?  No need to make Festive Cranberry Apricot Pie a second time.  I also need to remember not to choose a pie based on its photograph in a cookbook.