Apricot Cherry Slab Pie Food

APRICOT SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Place 1-1/2 cups flour in large bowl. Cut 3/4 cup butter into small cubes. Add to flour with cream cheese; cut with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Shape dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk; wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Place 1 disk between 2 lightly floured sheets of waxed paper; roll into 11x8-inch rectangle. Repeat with remaining dough, using 2 additional sheets of waxed paper. Place dough rectangles, with long sides together, on work surface. Discard top sheets of waxed paper. Spray 15x10x3/4-inch pan with cooking spray; invert over dough. Flip pan, holding pan and both pieces of dough together. Remove and discard waxed paper. Gently press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan, pinching seam together in center to seal.
• Heat oven to 400ºF. Drain apricots, reserving 1 cup syrup; place apricots in medium bowl. Add tapioca, extract and reserved syrup; mix lightly. Spoon into crust. Combine sugar, nuts and remaining flour in medium bowl. Cube remaining butter; cut into sugar mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apricot mixture.
• Bake 40 min. or until crust is lightly browned, and apricot mixture is hot and bubbly. Cool before cutting into bars.

APRICOT-CHERRY SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Pastry-In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size. Set aside.
• Lightly beat egg yolk in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to egg yolk to make 3/4 cup total liquid; mix well. Stir egg yolk mixture into flour mixture; mix well. Shape one third of dough into a ball; set aside.
• Form remaining two thirds of dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface use your hands to flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into an 18x12-inch rectangle. Wrap pastry around the rolling pin; unroll into a 15x10x1-inch baking pan (pastry will hang over edges of pan).
• Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in apricots and cherries. Spoon into the crust.
• Roll the remaining dough into a 16x11-inch rectangle; place over fruit. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Seal edges with the tines of a fork. Prick top pastry over entire surface with the fork.
• Bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze.Serve warm or cool. Makes 25 bars. Glaze-In a small bowl stir together powdered sugar and vanilla, now stir in enough milk to make a glaze of drizzling consistency.