Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Denise Landis is the founder & CEO of The Cook's Cook.
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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Looks delicious, and seems like a close cousin to a classic claufuti. (?) Will give it a try! Though hard to find cranberries & blueberries in Southern Italy.
Denise, what a delight Laurie Colwin was! Just think of what she could have written over the last 27 years had she not died so young. I’ve made this recipe a number of times, my adaptation including, as yours does, whole cranberries and sometimes turning it out of the plate. But the biggest change I make to it, and most every dessert, is to reduce the sugar. Love that photo of the comforting dessert on a plate like none I’ve ever seen.
I’ve done one with raspberries…..delicious!
This is such an New England Cranberry Pie. A Keeper!
I can’t wait to try this pie!