So, I guess blogging about pies twice in a row is a little weird, but this time, we're doing sweet pie! And from a recipe! There are just some recipes that you can't go wrong with because they are so simple and so perfect. This is one of them. My mother-in-laws famous cranberry raisin pie. My husband requests it from her every holiday season and it never disappoints.
The only little change I made was to the crust because I can't handle dairy, so I used coconut oil. But this change doesn't seem to effect the texture of the crust (it is still wonderfully crispy and flaky), plus it has the added bonus of making your crust taste slightly of toasted coconut, which in this pie worked beautifully.
Kathy's Cranberry Raisin Pie
One 9" pie with double crust
Crust:
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter, chilled
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
3-4 TB ice water (or more in order to bring dough together)
My version of the crust:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, chilled (the unrefined oil is the one that still tastes like coconut, though you can use refined as well)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
ice water
In a food processor (or you can always use your hands!), add flour, sugar, salt, and coconut oil or butter. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Add ice water little by little while pulsing until dough comes together. Roll dough into a flat ball and divide into two equal portions. Roll each portion in to a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Filling:
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup raisins
1 cup sugar
2 TB flour
2 TB butter
Coarsely chop the raisins and cranberries in a food processor. Fill the bottom pie crust with the fruit and sprinkle on sugar and flour. Dot with butter. Cover with top pie crust.
My version:
2 cup cranberries (I didn't have enough for 3 cups, whoops)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
Coarsely chop fruit in food processor. Pour into bowl with sugar and mix. Refrigerate with pie crust about 30 mins. This will macerate the fruit a bit, drawing out moisture and creating a sauce.
Pie Assembly:
Spray pie pan with non-stick spray. Roll out 1 portion of chilled pie dough to 1/4" thick. Roll dough onto rolling pin and gently lay it in your pie pan. Lift up the sides of the dough and gently press into place. Cut off any major excess, but leave some on the sides to press the top crust onto. Fill the bottom pie crust with macerated fruit.
For the top crust: You can either roll out the top crust much like the bottom crust, wash the bottom crust with a little water, and lay the top crust on top of the fruit. Then, cut vent holes in the top.
OR
You can roll out the top crust and cut it into strips with a pizza cutter. Then you can lay or weave the strips in a crosshatch pattern. I had a little extra crust on the bottom, so I folded that over the top. This made it look more rustic, but I didn't have enough filling to reach to the top, so I had to modify the crust slightly.
Last step is baking!
ONE BIG NOTE!!!!!: Refrigerating the completed pie for a few hours before baking ensure that your pie will have a delightfully flaky crust. My mother-in-law says this never fails...and since my crust came out perfectly, I'm going to say she's 100% right! :)
Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 425F and bake for another 15-20 mins or until the crust is golden brown. Cool for 30 minutes, then enjoy!
I love this pie because it is both sweet and tart. Most pies are overwhelmingly sweet, and even a small piece can be too much. Fortunately (or unfortunately, ha!), this pie is something you can eat a lot of. I'm not a huge raisin fan, but the mix of fresh and dried fruit is inspired. The raisins soften and plump up while cooking, and the tartness of the cranberries balances their sweetness. The crust is not too sweet, but is a perfect vessel for very intensely flavored fruit. My husband and I finished off this pie quickly, but not before he discovered that it also goes great with sweet yogurt sauce! I like mine with a hot cup of chai tea and almond milk. :)
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (or plain is fine too)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TB honey
1 TB lemon juice
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