This mock apple zucchini pie is convincing enough to fool anyone. It tastes just like apple pie, but is really made with zucchini. The cinnamon spiced filling is topped with a buttery crumb for the perfect dessert.
Use medium zucchini. Peel them, then slice in half lengthwise, remove seeds and thinly slice. The slices should resemble apple slices.
Cook zucchini along with a small amount of water in a skillet for over medium heat for 10 minutes. Begin timing when the water begins to bubble. Drain all of the liquid and allow to cool.
To Assemble
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Prepare pastry and place in a deep dish 9" pie plate.
Mix cream of tartar, salt, flour, lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon with cooked and drained zucchini slices. The zucchini will release more liquid and the filling will look wet, that is ok. Pour into pie shell.
Make crumb topping by mixing all ingredients until crumbly. You can use a patry cutter, a fork, or your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
Sprinkle crumb mixture over the pie pie.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crumb is golden brown.
Cool before serving.
Notes
To avoid a soggy bottom crust, use a metal pie plate.If you are using a glass or ceramic pie plate and are worried about a soggy bottom, bake the pie on lower rack to help heat the bottom crust.If you are still concerned, you can parbake the crust before adding the filling. Just dock the crust with a fork, then line it with parchment paper. Add pie weights or dry beans and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights before filling and baking according to the recipe.