Frozen fruit in pie recipes

[L.Rose]

Hello,

I raised this question yesterday, but got no takers. I thought I'd try again.

I want to make the brown sugar peach pie from the July 2000 issue. Can I substitute frozen peaches for fresh? If so, would I have to defrost the fruit first (I'm thinking no), and would I have to add extra flour or tapioca to the filling?

Thanks!

[m4star]

L.Rose- I have never made that specific recipe but I have made pie with frozen peaches. No you don't have to thaw them out first however the pie will be runny. Make sure it cools completely before slicing or you will have a gooey mess. But other than that, it works out fine.

[Sarah]

L.Rose-
I'm not sure I'd try with frozen peaches. The consistency changes a lot from fresh, and there would be a great deal of extra juice. I do make pies with cherries and blueberries that I've frozen, but in both cases I thaw them first.

Sarah

[L.Rose]

m4star,

Thanks for the info... will it be the same as fresh peaches if I let the pie cool first, or will it still be different (runnier) no matter what?

[m4star]

More runny- yes. But not disgustingly so. Peach pie from my experience is one of the more "runny" pies anyway. You usually have to let it cool considerably anyways before slicing or it falls apart.

You can also thaw the peaches out too. I've made the pie both ways but I never buy peaches with sugar added. So when they thaw, there really isn't much added water. The peaches are sticky, but not in a pool of liquid. It's a similar amount of liquid to using freshly washed peach slices. Do you know what I mean? They are wet but not liquidy. Maybe it's just depends on the type of frozen peaches you use? Also if they are frozen common sense suggests to make sure they are free from chunks of ice/snow/frost which will only add excess water. My suggestion would be to maybe cut down on the liquid you use by 1/4 cup if you are worried, but that's about all. It should work out fine.

[L.Rose]

The "disgustingly runny" was exactly what I was worried about! Thanks, m4star and Sarah. I think I'll try it with thawed peaches, and with full expectations of a different consistency...

[lorilei]

I know this is late in coming, but I just had to share one of the tricks my mother always used for preventing a runny pie. Toss a few tablespoons (or so) of flour in with the frozen fruit -- the flour acts as a thickener and will prevent the pie from "running away".

This has generally worked for me (at least prevented the pie from utterly falling apart), and it's a time-saver as well!

[L.Rose]

Lorilei,

You're not late at all-- I'm not making the pie until this weekend. I'll definitely try your suggestion. Thank you!

By the way, I tried your pesto salmon the other night and it was *delicious*. I was especially pleased because my husband detests spinach (much to my dismay, because I love it), and your recipe allowed me to sneak some by him!