This lovely old-fashioned pie comes from the late Elsie Rossi of B&R Farms in Hollister, California, where the Rossi family has grown and dried prized Blenheim apricots for generations. Elsie was also a longtime vendor at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets, where generations of market customers came to know her and the exceptional fruit her family brought to market.
Made with tender dried apricots simmered until plump and flavorful, Elsie’s pie is a wonderful reminder of California’s orchard heritage and the simple desserts once common in farmhouse kitchens. The filling is sweet-tart and deeply apricot-forward, with just enough sugar to soften the fruit’s natural tang, all tucked beneath a buttery lattice crust.
It is especially good served slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.
Today, you can find dried apricots from Pulido Farms and Fernandez Farm at the farmers market. And if your travels take you through Hollister, B&R Farms still offers its famous apricots at the family farm shop—a delicious connection to the history behind this treasured recipe.
Elsie’s Dried Blenheim Apricot Pie
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons minute tapioca
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups dried apricots, cooked and drained (reserve the cooking liquid)
1 cup hot apricot juice (reserved from cooking the apricots)
1 unbaked pastry shell and pastry for lattice top
1 small can (about 1 cup) crushed pineapple (optional)
METHOD:
Place the dried apricots in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer gently until tender—about 15–20 minutes—then drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Coarsely chop the cooked apricots if desired.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
In a large bowl, stir together the tapioca, sugar, and salt. Add the cooked apricots, reserved hot apricot juice, and crushed pineapple (if using). Stir gently until well combined. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the tapioca to begin thickening.
Pour the filling into the unbaked pastry shell. Arrange strips of dough in a lattice pattern over the top and crimp the edges to seal.
Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling gently.
Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream.
YIELD: 8 servings
SOURCE: Recipe submitted by Elsie Rossi of B&R Farms
CHEF’S NOTE: For the best flavor, use California-grown Blenheim dried apricots for this pie. Their intense apricot flavor and distinctive sweet-tart character are essential to the filling. Turkish and other imported dried apricot varieties tend to be milder and sweeter and simply do not provide the same depth of flavor or bright tang that makes this pie so special.
