Cranberry makes it from the side dish to the pie plate with this recipe from pastry chef Rachel Gibeley. Partnered with Bartlett pears, the tart berries are offset by the citrus of orange and lemon, mixed with a medley of autumnal spices and a ginger zing. Start with your favorite pie crust (you’ll need a 9-inch bottom crust and 10-inch top) and get to work on the fall-tastic filling, as aromatic as it is delicious.
Cranberry Pear Pie
Details
Yields: one 9-inch pie
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound cranberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- 6 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2-3 medium Bartlett pears, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch chunks (should yield around 10 ounces)
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Directions
- Chill your top and bottom pie crusts until firm. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix all of the filling ingredients, except the pears and egg, together in a large pot. On medium-low heat, cook the filling, stirring occasionally, until it begins to simmer and thicken and the cranberries begin to soften. Crush some of the cranberries with the back of a fork.
- Stir the pears into the filling and pour the mixture into the bottom crust in a 9-inch pie pan. Brush the edges of the pie crust with beaten egg. Place the 10-inch top crust on top of the filling and trim any edges that are overhanging. Brush the top with beaten egg and sprinkle with a few pinches of sugar. Cut 5 small slits in the top to vent the steam.
- Bake the pie for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling through the vent slits. Cool the pie for 2-3 hours to allow the filling to set.
