I bring cranberry pie to parties and keep it around the house all through the holidays.
Easy Cranberry Pie for the Holidays
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.
The recipe: Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Happy Holidays!
