Fisherman’s Wharf Apple Pie

This recipe for Fisherman’s Wharf Apple Pie comes from Jen Lawton and her Aunt Colleen Wilkins. Jen is a wonderfully interactive member of our Savour It All Instagram community. She knows my love of sharing great old family recipes and wanted me to share this recipe that’s been in her family for three generations. When she described it to me I was more than willing to take it out for a test drive. She sent me a photo of the tattered, stained recipe card that had been handed down to her. Don’t you love those?

Jen comes from the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island and we think that the Fisherman’s Wharf in question for this recipe would’ve been in Victoria. But who knows for sure? There was a pie shop near there. There’s also a famous pie like this from a restaurant at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and one in the South Eastern area of the U.S. comes up on Google as well. Maybe someone in Jen’s family travelled there? Jen says that the people in her family who would know the answers have all died now. Note to self: ask Mom more questions about her recipes!

Regardless of exactly where it came from, this Fisherman’s Wharf Apple Pie is a truly delicious pie. Cooking the apples in a sour cream custard and topping it with a cinnamon and pecan mixture gives the pie a strudel feel. Though it’s tasty at room temperature, eating it warm fresh from the oven is sublime. I hope you’ll give it a try and if you do, I know you’ll savour it all.

Fisherman’s Wharf Apple Pie

 

Slices of apple cooked in a sour cream custard and topped with a crisp pecan topping – this is best served warm with some cinnamon whipped cream on the side.

• Author: Karen Anderson
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 90 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 8 servings
• Category: desserts
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: Canadian

Ingredients

For the bottom crust:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cold shortening, sliced into small cubes

¼ cup cold butter, sliced into small cubes

⅓ cup ice water (put ice and water in a bigger cup and pour into ⅓ cup)

For the filling:

1 egg, beaten

1½ cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

2¼ lbs cored, peeled, sliced apples (I used 6 Pink Lady apples and got 6 cups sliced apples which fit nicely in the 9-inch pie pan)

For the topping:

½ cup flour

3 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, melted

⅓ cup white vinegar

1 cup pecan halves

Instructions

For the bottom pie crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 450℉.
2. Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Use a pastry blender to mix in the shortening and butter until a fine crumb resembling small peas develops.
4. Stir in the ice cold water and bring the dough together in a ball.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
6. Roll out and transfer to the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan

For the filling:

1. Stir the egg, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and salt for the filling until smooth.
2. Pour into the prepared pie crust and gently add the apples.
3. Bake like this for 10 minutes then reduce to 350℉ and bake for 35 minutes. Wait to prepare your topping until a few minutes before this baking time is up. It will spread much easier.

For the topping:

1. Stir the flour, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl and then stir in the butter followed by the vinegar. Fold in the pecans.
2. Remove the pie from the oven after it’s baked the first 45 minutes, add the topping, return to the oven and bake for another 45 minutes.
3. Enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream and a nice cuppa coffee or tea.

 

 

Keywords: Fisherman’s Wharf Apple Pie