Picked to Die (An Orchard Mystery) (26 page)

Apple Cream Pie

Meg and Bree were too busy to think about making a dessert for their dinner with the pickers, but if you want a sweet ending to your meal, here’s an easy pie that showcases the apples from the harvest.

9" unbaked pie shell, chilled (buy a frozen one if you’re pressed for time, or use premade piecrust and fit it to your pie plate)

3–4 large cooking apples (whatever variety you have, or mix them up), peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ cup flour

1 cup light cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare your apples and pile them in the pie shell.

Whisk together the sugar, salt, and flour. Add the cream and vanilla and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture over the apples. Dot the top with butter and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 15 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes or until the pie filling sets, and the apples are easy to pierce with a sharp knife.

Let cool before slicing.