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Denise Landis: the cook writes

Easy Cranberry Pie

DL

Denise Landis

Denise Landis is the founder & CEO of The Cook's Cook.

I bring cranberry pie to parties and keep it around the house all through the holidays.

Easy Cranberry Pie for Christmas

About twenty years ago I discovered a recipe for Nantucket Cranberry Pie in Laurie Colwin’s book of essays More Home Cooking. She described it as more like a cake than a pie, and credited her friend Ann Gold with the recipe, as she was unable to track down the roots of the recipe. I like it that in that same essay she talked about how recipes evolve. I first made Gold/Colwin’s recipe the way it had been written, then gave it my own twist.

I bring cranberry pie to parties and keep it around the house all through the holidays. Thrift stores are a great source of glass cake plates, and bargain stores will have a supply of colorful cellophane and ribbons for wrapping pies as gifts.

Even Simpler and Even Better

The recipe is very very easy. The hardest part about it is needing a ten-inch glass pie plate. You may not have that size but you’ll need it, and I advise buying two so you can make two pies at once.

You’ll start by preheating the oven and spraying the pie plate with nonstick spray. Spread the sugar in the plate first, top with the chopped nuts, and then add the cranberries. Colwin says they should be chopped, but they will be prettier (and it’s much easier) if you use them whole. Frozen cranberries are fine, and do not defrost them. Mix everything with your fingers as well as you can.

Next, make the batter. In a one-quart microwaveable measuring pitcher, melt the butter. Then stir in the sugar, as the heat will let it melt quickly. After that, flour, almond extract, and eggs, all stirred well.

Pour the batter over the cranberry mixture, starting with the edges and then toward the middle. Spread the batter as evenly as you can (dampened fingers can help) over the cranberries, and don’t worry if it doesn’t quite reach the very edges.

Baking and then Gilding the Lily

Bake the pie until it is light golden on top; not too brown. This is where I put another small twist on the recipe. While the pie is baking assemble a glass cake plate, oven mitts, and a small sharp knife. When you can smell the pie and it looks just right, remove it from the oven and set it on a heatproof counter or the stovetop. Quickly run the knife around the edge of the pie, set the cake plate over the pie, and flip it. Immediately slip the edge of the knife under the edge of the pie pan, and lift off the pan. If some of the sugar or nuts have lifted as well, scrape them back onto the damaged spots — they won’t be noticed later, especially after you garnish the pie.

Let the pie cool completely, then sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. I like to serve it with a generous amount of lightly sweetened whipped cream, but as Colwin pointed out, it’s not necessary.

Not Just for Winter

I keep cranberries in my freezer year-round, but this pie has become such an institution in my family, it’s often made with fresh blueberries when they are in season. It’s a terrific dessert, nice for an office party, easy to whip up for guests coming on short notice.

Merry Christmas! A slotted spoon.

I bring cranberry pie to parties and keep it around the house all through the holidays. Thrift stores are a great source of glass cake plates, and bargain stores will have a supply of colorful cellophane and ribbons for wrapping pies as gifts.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Print This Recipe

The prolific food writer and novelist Laurie Colwin had a great appreciation for simplicity in the kitchen. This adaptation of her recipe for Nantucket Cranberry Pie takes her easy recipe and makes it even easier by using whole instead of chopped cranberries. Instead of serving the pie as suggested, topped with a browned crust, our adaptation inverts the cooked pie to showcase the glistening red berries. Top the pie with a dusting of snowy confectioner’s  sugar — or, to offset the tartness of the fruit, serve each portion with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Cranberries freeze extremely well, so you can keep them on hand year-round. No cranberries? Blueberries make a lovely substitute, especially when you can harvest them locally. This recipe calls for a 25.4 cm (10-inch) pie pan.

Adapted from More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin, Harper Collins 1993

Ingredients

For the cranberry-walnut mixture:

  • Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil, for greasing pan
  • 118 ml (1/2 cup) sugar
  • 473 ml (2 cups) whole cranberries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
  • 118 ml (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts

For the batter and topping:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 177 ml (3/4 cup) butter
  • 237 ml (1 cup) sugar
  • 237 ml (1 cup) flour
  • 5 ml (1 teaspoon) almond extract
  • Confectioner's sugar, as needed for topping
  • Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 177°C (350°F). Generously coat the inside of a 10-inch pie plate with oil or nonstick spray.

2. In the bottom of a 25.4 cm (10-inch) pie plate or springform pan, spread the sugar evenly, then add the cranberries and chopped walnuts. Mix well, spreading everything evenly across the bottom of the pan and lightly patting it down.

3. In a heatproof bowl in a microwave oven (or in a pan over low heat), melt the butter. Stir in the sugar. Add the flour, almond extract, and eggs, mixing well to make a smooth batter. Pour this over the cranberry mixture, starting with the edges and working toward the middle. Smooth the batter so it covers evenly and to the edges of the pan.

4. Bake until the top is light golden brown, about 40 minutes. While the pie is baking, set aside a plate for the finished pie, two oven mitts, and a small sharp knife.

5. When the pie is ready to come out of the oven, remove it and set on a heatproof surface. Immediately run the knife around the inside edge of the pie to loosen it. Place the serving plate on top of the pie pan and grasp the serving plate and pie pan with both mitts, flipping the pie upside down. The pie should release easily from the pan. Use the edge of the knife to help lift the pie pan so you can remove it. If any pie filling has stuck to the pan, remove it and pat back into place on the pie; when the pie is cooled, confectioner’s sugar will help hide any imperfections.

6. Allow the pie to cool completely before topping with a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar. Serve at room temperature. If desired, garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped cream.

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Denise Landis

Denise Landis had been employed as an archeologist for seven years before a food editor hired her to test some recipes from a cookbook manuscript. This short stint led to longer assignments, and two years later she began testing recipes for the New York Times. She has been a professional recipe tester and editor for over 25 years, is the author of a New York Times cookbook, and has written for numerous publications. She is a member of the New York Chapter of Les Dames d’ Escoffier.

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