Orange and Apple Pie

Photo: flickr user Rubber Slippers In Italy

Ingredients

unbaked pie pastry shell and lid

5 mediums juice oranges

3 cups water

1 cup honey

small juice of ½ lemon

4 mediums apples, peeled cored and

Preparation

1/2 Cup Brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon - (generous) 1/8 teaspoon Powdered ginger 2 tablespoons Confectioners' sugar - dissolved in 1 tablespoon Rose water To make a Tarte of Apples and Orenge Pilles-Take your orenges, and lay them in water a day and a night, then seeth them in faire water and hony, an let them seeth til they be soft: then let them soak in the sirrop a day and a night: then take them forth and cut them small, and then make your tart and season of apples with sugar, synamon and ginger, and put in a piece of butter, and lay in a course of apples, a course of orenges and so course by course, and season your orenges as you seasoned yo

Then take out the tart, and take a feather and spread the rosewater and sugar on the lid, and set it into the oven again, and let the sugar harden on the lid, and let it not burn.-The Good Huswives Handmaid*Oringeado*, or candied orange peel, was a favorite Elizabethan confection, and often made its way into pastries. The Seville orange, rather bitter in flavor, had been imported from Spain and Portugal in small quantities during the Middle Ages, but became more readily available in the sixteenth century.

By that time, Portuguese merchants were also trading a sweet variety of orange from Ceylon. The latter grew quickly in popularity and was soon considered the preferred type to preserve. In this recipe, a delicate hint of bitterness furnished by the honeyed orange peel combine memorably with the mellow flavor of apples. 1. Bake pie shell at 425F for 10 minutes. Let cool.

2. Slice oranges as thinly as possible, discarding seeds.

3. Combine water, honey, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add orange slices. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 2 hours or until peel is limp and easily chewed.

4. Drain orange slices and set aside.

5. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, and spices. Add apple slices and toss until evenly coated.

6. Place a layer of apple slices in pie shell, then a layer of orange slices. Repeat with remaining fruit.

7. Place pastry lid over filling. Crimp edges and slash lid in a few places to allow steam to escape.

8. Paint lid with rose-water icing.

9. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

From To The Queen's Taste by Lorna J. Sass "Desserts"

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