Substituting Frozen Fruit for Fresh

Cravings don’t always follow the seasons, so the temptation to sneak in a blueberry pie in the middle of a January blizzard is completely understandable. While it is possible to use frozen fruits where fresh are called for, bear in mind that a pie is only as good as its ingredients, and nothing can compare to the flavor of ripe produce at the height of its growing season. There is also no direct conversion from fresh to frozen, since the freezing process creates many ice crystals inside the fruit which extract additional water when thawed. To prevent your pies from becoming a soupy mess, you must first fully thaw and drain the fruit. Only then can you measure and use it, although the weight will be different thanks to the water that was removed, so your best bet is to stick with volume measures. Otherwise, weigh out how much liquid you’re removing once the fruit has thawed, and add in that same measurement of whole, thawed fruit to equal the same final weight called for in the recipe.