Everyone at the Folk School had an anecdote or story about fried pie, but no one had a recipe, not even Southern Living. The only recipe I found was at Cooks.com which I tried both at home and at the Folk School and yielded an inedible chocolate syrup-biscuit abomonation.
So I spent all week in cooking class developing a recipe from an old recipe in a book and geekboy science. Here, then, is the elusive, hard-won fried pie recipe. Subject to change without notice.
Fried pie filling -
21 oz. can of pie filling
1/2 pound jelly/jam/preserves that use the same or similar fruit as the pie filling (apple jelly is a good "base" flavor for pie fillings that have no complementary jelly/jam/preserves flavor)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 TBSPs molasses
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
Cook down on a low boil until it's thick even when hot to prevent the filling from running out of the pie during frying. Reduce to a simmer and prepare your favorite pie dough recipe (mine is below).
Cut the pie dough into 5-6" rounds (the larger the rounds, the more filling relative to pie crust, so adjust to taste). Scoop filling into dough rounds and crimp with a fork (DO NOT dock holes into the pies).
Put the pies in the freezer to prevent the crusts from disintegrating in the hot oil. Prepare a drying rack upside down in a cookie sheet. Fry at 375 degrees until medium brown and transfer to the drying rack, or brush with melted butter and bake on a wire rack at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, finishing under the broiler if necessary to finish browning.
Put the pies in the freezer to cool them while you prepare the glaze.
Fried pie glaze -
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups water
Put the glaze on after the pies are cold.
PIE CRUST RECIPE (for a 2-crust pie)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup + 1 TBSP shortening (I use butter flavor Crisco)
Ice water (or ice-cold apple "jack" brandy or ice-cold vodka)
Mix flour and salt with a big serving fork or whisk.
Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter and a big serving fork until it resembles little pebbles. Add ice-cold liquid a teaspoonful at a time and stir with a fork until a small portion of the dough binds together. Push over the dough that's bound together and bind a small portion at a time with the cold liquid. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 10 minutes. ---
Notes: For pan pies, you can cook the pie and filling separately, but you have to cool the filling and the shell completely or it'll get runny.