It has become abundantly clear to me that I have to start up a cooking class for teaching the art of making Fried Fruit Pies. I'm talking about those Southern delectibles like our grandmothers used to make - REAL fried pies. I'm not talking about some thrown together mess of a pastry that is filled with some mess that is supposed to be the fruit filling.
At the Ren Faire yesterday, I bought a peach and apple pie from one of the vendors. I began talking to him by telling him that one of my fried pies would be the best that anyone ever put into their mouth (ask Patsy Morgan, Cindy Murrah, or anyone else who has ever tasted mine). I told him how my fried pies are REAL ones, totally made from scratch, with real pastry that is made the REAL way, and REAL fruit filling that is made the REAL way, etc. Oh, he went on to tell me how his also were.
Should you ever stumble upon Nick's Fried Pies at some event you are attending, you will be disappointed. That is, IF you know what a REAL fried fruit pie is supposed to be made. With his assurance that they were REAL pies, I did not dispute his $6.00 a pie cost, because I know the time and effort that goes into making them. And, I know the taste is worth it. However, I ultimately regret that I spent $12.00 on two pies that Nick misrepresented as being real. Well, they were real pies, but they were not REAL pies. The apple filling had a good taste, but it was canned apples (maybe canned apple pie filling?). The pastry on that one was beautifully browned, but the edge was too hard to eat. The pastry on the peach one was much softer. In fact, it was soggy wet. That is because he simply used canned peaches. Take my word for it, his pies are NOT REAL!
I've sampled the pies of many makers who claim to make them the right way and warrant them to be the best. What I have found in their pies, though, is absolute disappointment and failure to meet the criteria that is needed for a REAL fried pie. When making these pies from scratch (as I do), they are not difficult to make; however, they are very time consuming to make. Somewhere along the way, someone began looking for easier, quicker ways to make them. While their easier ways to result in a fried pie, I assure you they are not REAL fried pies.
What I have discovered is that the art of making REAL fried fruit pies has become lost. Way lost!
If you're interested in learning how to make REAL fried fruit pies, let me know. You will pay for the ingredients and pay me a nominal teacher's fee. Plus, you will give me a share of the pies that I teach you to make. It is a lost art, and one that definitely needs to be preserved for future generations. Otherwise, the day will come when no one has the faintest idea of what a REAL fried fruit pie is supposed to be. read more
