APPLE SQUARE PAN PIE – like Marie Calender’s Shoppe (Los Angeles, CA)
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… The Copycat Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; April 1988, p. 75).
I borrowed this idea, for the crumbled top crust, from my very first visit to Marie Calender’s Pie Shoppe Restaurants in the Los Angeles area some 7 or 8 years ago [1980 or 1981]. It remains my favorite!
I chose to work with the square pan in order to avoid working a crust up the sides and having to cut it into wedges. With the square serving pieces, the appearance is appealing and the effort in preparing the crust is as simple as buttering bread!
Rather than roll out or pat out a top crust, however, I use a second recipe of my Butter Crust for the top, without gathering it into a ball. After beating it half a minute, as recipe requires, I left it in the bowl, in its crumbly condition; removing the beaters and placing the bowl in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
This hastens the firmness of the cooled crust mixture so that you can crumble it over the filling just before you bake the pie, and the final result gives you the taste and texture of the rolled out crust, with none of the effort.
The [basic] filling formula remains the same in measurement and portions, using:
3-oz pkg Jell-O [gelatin] powder
1/3 cup Bisquick
3 cans (1-lb each) fruit, drained (reserving the juices & returning 1/3 to the fruit)
INGREDIENTS:
[For my most dependable, very favorite crust, see my Butter Crust recipe, on the Recipes tab.]
FILLING:
5 cups peeled, cored, & thinly sliced apples
3-oz box lemon Jell-O powder
1/3 cup Bisquick
2 TB bottled apple butter (or 2 TB applesauce, plus 2 tsp cinnamon)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare both crusts as directed in [Butter Crust] recipe… Bake bottom crust for 15 minutes [at 375°F]. Combine filling ingredients [as listed, above] and spread over hot crust, after baking time. Crumble second crust over this. Return to bake for 35 [more] minutes – or until apples test tender and topping is golden. Cool in pan 30 minutes, before cutting into squares.
See also…
