Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Cranberry Pie with Pecan Crumble

I always have a hard time choosing what to make for Thanksgiving dessert. It was especially difficult this year since I’d just read a couple of new baking books and had even more delicious ideas than usual. There were two different sweet potato pies that were very strong contenders, and I’m already planning to choose one of them for the top of next year’s list of dessert considerations. After some serious reflection and dessert-focused meditation, I decided to go in a fruity direction with the Cranberry Pie from Nick Malgieri's Pastry. This was one of the recipes in the book that got my attention when I first flipped through the pages. The cranberries make a pretty filling, and the added pecans give it great texture. There’s an option for adding a nut crumb topping, and I couldn’t resist. Regarding crumb toppings, I’m one of those people who tend to double the quantities to make a very generous topping. I can report that technique is not necessary here. The amount of crumb topping suggested covered the pie completely and was almost too much. (almost) And, interestingly, Malgieri suggests baking the crumb topping separately on a baking sheet for a bit before adding it to the pie. It gets delightfully crispy and crunchy, and I’ll remember to do that with other crumb topping from now on. 

The pie was baked in a nine-inch pie pan, and a sweet crust dough was made in advance and fit into the pan. I left the prepared but unbaked pie crust in the freezer until the filling was ready. For the filling, one and a half pounds of cranberries were combined with a third of a cup of sugar, two thirds of a cup of brown sugar, a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, the zest of an orange, a half of a cup of orange juice, four tablespoons of butter, a half teaspoon of cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger. This mixture was brought to a simmer in a large saucepan and stirred often. There’s a warning in the recipe that if the filling is overcooked, it will be hard once baked in the pie. The mixture only cooked for five minutes, maybe even less than five minutes, just until thickened. It was left to cool, and then a half a cup of chopped pecans was added. For the crumb topping, one cup of flour was added to three tablespoons of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg, one half cup of chopped pecans, and six tablespoons of melted butter. The mixture was stirred together evenly and left to sit for five minutes for the flour to completely absorb the butter. It was broken into crumbles and scattered on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It was baked at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Next, the prepared pie crust was filled with the cranberry mixture, the pre-baked crumb topping was strewn about on top of the pie filling, and the pie baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. 

Even with the nutty crumb topping, this pie isn’t overly sweet. The tart cranberries give it great, fruity flavor and temper the sweetness. I served the pie with maple-sweetened whipped cream to fit the Thanksgiving theme. I don’t think any of the desserts I considered would have been bad choices, but I’m thrilled to have gotten to taste this cranberry pie. And, now that the Christmas season is upon us, I need to start making another holiday dessert decision. 

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21 comments:

  1. Beautiful! This is a fabulous dessert. Wonderfully festive and seasonal.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. This looks fabulous! Putting it on my list~

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  3. I love the notion of Pecan Crumble Lisa! I'm sure it kicked this Cranberry Pie up a notch or two:) Thank you so much for sharing...

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  4. That crumble topping is to die for, Lisa.
    Ciao,
    Angie

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  5. Pie with crumble...wow! Looks fabulous.

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  6. Your pie looks exquisite, all that flavour with great texture!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  7. Pecan crumble? Brilliant -- that just works. Lovely flavor, I'll bet. And definitely a lovely dessert -- thanks.

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  8. I am not a big fan of cranberries in large amounts, but the idea of this flavor combo has me thinking otherwise - and it is SO beautiful!

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  9. As a huge fan of citrus desserts the idea of tart paired with sweet is of great interest to me. I would have never thought to make a pie filled with just cranberries, what a splendid recipe!

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  10. Your pie crust is so pretty. The mixture of ingredients is so perfect for Thanksgiving. How fortunate you are to have fresh cranberries - unfortunately they're not available here and it's even difficult to find them in the freezer section. I'm trying to find some now so I can make cranberry sauce for the turkey on Christmas Day xx

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  11. Dear Lisa, Such a pretty and delicious pie to serve for the holidays. xo Catharine

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  12. first, your crust looks perfect. second, crumble topping (and pecan, no less) is always a hit with me. third, i'm so happy to see cranberries in the spotlight as your filling! this is lovely!

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  13. you know... I just love anything with cranberries in it. It's just too delicious and you're tempting me with this one!

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  14. This looks delicious and wholesome. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  15. While reading, I wondered if it might be too tangy for me, but your description made it sound just right. I'm intrigued by the pies and crumbles I've seen this season made entirely with cranberries. I like the flavored whipped cream idea too. Pecan crumbles are delish; I like making crusts with nuts too.

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  16. this is such an amazing pie, Lisa! I love it!

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  17. Lisa this look absolutely delicious!!

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  18. Hi Lisa, what an amazing pie, I bet this is delicious with the tart cranberries. Happy Holidays!

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  19. That is one gorgeous pie, Lisa. I can see how it made it to the top of your list!

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  20. This is one gorgeous and festive pie! Never enough crumb topping!!

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