Make Zoar’s dried apple schnitz pie
Nineteenth-century Zoar was known as the village in an apple orchard, growing and preserving apples to use throughout the year in traditional German dishes.
A popular holiday recipe was dried schnitz pie, which used apples dried after Zoar’s fall harvest. Dried apples were soaked, ran through a colander — modern cooks may choose to use a chopper or food processor to save time — and seasoned with sugar and spices. The technique gives the pie filling a consistency similar to apple butter or applesauce.
The following recipe is featured in the book, “Apple Recipes from Historic Zoar Village,” and was developed by Fern Coulter, a previous Zoar resident. The 32-page book of historical recipes is available for purchase at www.thezoarstore.com and in the Zoar Store at 198 Main St. in Zoar.
DRIED SCHNITZ PIE
2 cups dried tart apples
2/3 cup sugar
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon powdered cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pastry for 2-crust pie
Soak apples in 1 ½ cups warm water. Cook apples in soaking water. When soft, rub apples through a colander. Add sugar and spices. Put mixture in unbaked pie shell and cover with top crust. Fasten at edges. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 375 F and continue baking for 35 minutes.