1 ea pastry for a 9″ crust pie 2 ts cream of tartar
36 ea Ritz crackers 2 tb lemon juice
2 c water 1 ea Lemon rind grated
1 c sugar 2 tb butter or margarine
1 c brown sugar 1 ea Cinnamon to taste
Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out half of the pastry and fit it into a 9-
inch pan. Break the crackers coarsely into the pastry lined pan. Combine
the water, sugars and cream of tartar in saucepan; boil gently for 15
minutes. Add lemon juice and rind., and let cool. Pour the mixture over
the crackers. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out the
remaining pastry and cover the cracker mixture. Trim and flute edges. Cut
slits in top crust to let steam escape. Place in oven and bake for 30 – 35
minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 6 – 8 servings. Perhaps the most famous fake is mock apple pie,
popularized by the makers of Ritz Crackers in the 1940’s. The pie uses
absolutely no apples. Instead of fruit, the filling is nothing more than
candied cracker crumbs with just enough lemon juice and cinnamon to hint
of Mom’s real thing.
Yields
6 servings