Mock Apple Pie

Sometimes, things aren't as they appear. Often, the deception is apparent immediately. Other times, it reveals itself slowly. Deceit can be painful, as we all know too well, but it can also be fun. And so it is, with this mock apple pie.

Now many of you are probably thinking that this is the vintage Ritz Cracker mock apple pie, but it is not. I brought this to work with the note: "Enjoy the pie and guess what kind it is. Winner gets ... a slice of pie!" And the losers (of which there were many) did too. Answers ranged from apple-rhubarb to winter squash. Not one person guessed that it was.....drum roll here...zucchini!

As you can imagine, I was intrigued when I came across this recipe card, which I assume was devised by a housewife facing a huge mountain of fresh-harvested overgrown zucchini in the fall. I say overgrown, because the instructions call for seeding the squash, something you need not do if the zucchini is young.

It's pretty straightforward to make, except for the topping which I couldn't quite figure out. I'm sure I made it wrong (I put all the ingredients in the food processor) but, forging ahead because it was too late to turn back, placed the odd mixture on top of the pie and then put the whole thing in the oven. Of course, it overflowed; next time (if there is one), I will place a foil covered baking sheet on the lower rack. Or follow the recipe precisely, which called for baking the pie in a paper bag!

In the end, the pie tasted fine. In fact, more than fine.