Ada was Ken’s great great grandmother, and she is fondly remembered for her love of pies. This pie recipe of Ada’s was given to me by Ken’s mom, in a family recipe book she created for me several Christmases ago. I was still learning to cook and bake at the time, and remember vividly how intimidated I felt when I first read one of the pie recipes in this book. The first step was simply, “Make pie crust,” with no instructions as to how. I had no clue where to start.
Fortunately, I’ve come a long way, and have made numerous pie crusts since then. Yet, this is the first time I’ve made Ada’s apricot pie, and many of the steps in the original recipe are just as vague. It doesn’t even include the steps “Make pie crust” or “Bake.” Some of the steps it does include are to use a “box” of apricots (without indicating what size box) and to simply “cook up” the filling.
Below is Ada’s original recipe, for those who like a challenge and a lot of pie. It makes three large pies. Following Ada’s recipe is my modified version, for those who prefer a little more detail – and only need one pie.