Apple Pie Filling (Freeze filling, pop into pie shell when needed)

By Hklbrries

It's apple season, and that means it's time to make your way to a local apple orchard and harvest your own. Many orchards are jam-packed with additional things to do in the crisp fall air, such as hay rides, corn mazes and walking trails.

You'll be tempted by a never-ending array of treats, from apple cider to doughnuts to caramel apples. But no trip is complete without the experience of picking apples fresh off the tree with your kids and bringing them home to enjoy for snacking, making applesauce and, our family favorite, baking apple pies.

One year, when we came home with an extra basketful, I thought about how great it would be to preserve that fresh taste of our favorite local apples and enjoy them in a warm apple pie come wintertime.

That's when a friend reminded me of her idea of freezing fresh apple pie filling in the shape of a pie pan. A few months later, when chilly days were upon us and the family longed for the taste of fall, the frozen filling was placed in a pie shell and baked.

This fall, when you peel, core and slice apples for a pie or crisp, prepare extra apples and freeze them. You'll be glad you did.

Donna Erickson is the executive producer and host of public television's award-winning family lifestyle series "Donna's Day." Her latest book is "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families." For more ideas, visit donnasday.com and sign up for Donna's e-newsletter, join the new Donna's Day Facebook Fan page and follow Donna on Twitter @Donna_Erickson.

Ingredients

• 6 cups tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie (your choice)

Details

Adapted from donnasday.com

Preparation

Step 1

Here's how to make and freeze apple filling for a two-crust pie:

Set a 22-inch sheet of wide aluminum foil over the pie pan you will use for baking. Mold it in the pan at the center point of the foil. Set a 22-inch-long piece of plastic wrap over the foil.

Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Place them in a bowl. Toss with lemon juice. Stir in a mixture of sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.

Pour apple mixture onto the plastic wrap in pie pan. Press firmly and form a rounded top. Bring edges of plastic wrap together to seal. Repeat with foil. Freeze overnight.

Remove pie plate. Set frozen pie-shaped apple filling "package" in a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to four months.

To bake apple pie, preheat oven to 375 F. Set unwrapped frozen apple filling in a 9-inch pastry-lined pan. (Note: Do not let it thaw.) Dot with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Place top crust over filling. Cut slits to vent. Seal and flute crust. Set pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes or until filling is bubbling through the slits. (Note: Cover loosely with foil if crust gets too brown before the filling bubbles.)