Cranberry Apple Pie – Doing Double Duty at Thanksgiving

Once again, since neither I nor my husband has ever been willing to give up Thanksgiving dinner with our respective families, we are gearing up for our annual schizophrenic Philadelphia holiday celebration, in which we join my family for an early afternoon dinner, followed by another meal at my in-law Irene’s home  later that evening.

Like us, this particular dessert will be found  at both family’s celebrations this year. It is a true harvest pie, with apples, cranberries, raisins and nuts,and quite delicious. Irene makes it every year for her dinner. I made it once a few years back for my sister’s dinner, and she requested I bring it again this year.

SInce we save dessert for the evening meal, I won’t get to taste the one I made. That’s okay – I’ll just eat a piece of Irene’s instead.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Apple Pie

• 5 cups thin apple slices (Red delicious or other )
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp cinammon
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 Pate Brisee pie crust recipes (top and bottom) – see below 

• 3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• Egg wash – 1 egg + 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp sugar

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Roll out bottom crust and line an 11 inch deep dish pie or tart pan. Pour apple/cranberry/nut mixture into pan. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out the top crust and place atop the filled pie, sealing and crimping the edges. Cut 5 slits in a circular pattern around the middle. whisk egg and water together in a small bowl.Brush egg wash onto crust and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sugar.

Bake atop a baking sheet on the middle rack of preheated oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and bake another 50 minutes or until the juices start to bubble. Remove from oven and cool.

Can be made ahead and frozen. On Thanksgiving morning, remove pie from freezer and let thaw at room temp. Pop into a 350 degree oven to warm if you like.

Pate Brisee Pie Crust made with shortening and butter

This recipe makes one crust. For this pie, you will need to make this recipe twice for both a top and bottom crust . Alternatively, if your food processor bowl is large enough, you can simply  double the recipe and make it in one batch, then splitting the dough into two crusts.

If you want a butter-only Pate Brisee that is even easier to work with than this one, try this recipe instead.

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 stick cold butter, cut into equal size 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp Crisco
• 3 tbsp ice water

Pulse flour and salt once in food processor. Add butter and pulse till consistency of corn meal, about 15 secs. Add water through feed tube and pulse till dough comes together, about 10 secs. Remove dough from bowl, pat into a round and press flat. Wrap with plastic wrap and keep cold in fridge till ready to roll.