Don’t tell; no one will know it’s mock apple pie

Dear Heloise: Many years ago, I knew of a recipe for mock apple pie that looked and tasted like real apple pie. No one would know it unless you said no apples were used. I lost my copy of that recipe. I hope you have one in your files. Joseph May, Anaheim, Calif.

Yes, I have it! And you’re right, people won’t know if you don’t tell. It is one of my most-requested recipes. You’d swear it was filled with apples.

MOCK APPLE PIE

Pastry for a double-crusted 9-inch pie

2 cups water

11‚Ñ4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

20 single-stack, square soda crackers (regular, salted)

Butter (for dotting)

Ground cinnamon (for sprinkling)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with pastry. In a medium saucepan, boil the water, sugar and cream of tartar. Add the soda crackers and boil for only 1 minute. Spoon the mixture gently into the pie shell. Dot the top with butter and sprinkle on the cinnamon to taste. Cover the pie with the top crust and cut vents into it. Bake for 35 minutes. Let the pie cool before cutting, so it has time to firm up.

So, there you go, Joseph. Enjoy and hang on to the recipe. I’m sure you’ll be getting a lot of requests for it. I have collected several other delicious recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts, including No-Bake Cheesecake, in my brand-new Heloise’s All-Time Favorite Recipes pamphlet, which you can have by sending $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (59 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Recipes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. FYI: When baking pie, protect the outer edge of the pie crust from burning by putting a thin strip of aluminum foil over it. Heloise

Dear Heloise: My family loves egg salad, and I fix it all the time. When I make the first batch, I use only mayonnaise and dill relish, then the second day I add mustard and it’s a different taste.

Also, I usually use six to eight eggs and only two to three yolks, saving calories and cholesterol. I separate the yolks and mash them with a fork, then mix in the mayo. It seems to “spread” the taste. Egg Salad Fan in California

Dear Readers: Ever wonder why the yolk of the egg is sometimes different shades of yellow? Our friends at the American Egg Board tell us the yolk color depends on the plant pigments in the hens’ feed, and that natural yellow-orange substances, such as marigold petals, may be added to enhance color. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I use a clothespin to attach my grocery list to the top of my shopping cart. As I shop, I can easily see the list. Wendy Cunningham, Jacksonville, Fla.

X Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate