~ cranberry apple pie ~

This Thanksgiving I've been reunited with my familiy in snowy Minnesota, not the coastal North Carolina where I grew up, but still a place I'm learning to call my home away from home.  It's been interesting and funny and different being reunited with everyone, a comfort sometimes, and then a reminder of childhood angst at others.  I suppose this is how families go.  On Thanksgiving we arrived home to find that nothing had been prepared and it was nearly 4 o'clock, so I put my game face on and quickly prepared as much as I could in a few hours.  I whipped up rosemary mashed potatoes, a sweet potato bake where I used eggnog (surprisingly delicious!) with maple brown sugared pecans on top,  sauteed spinach and shallots with lemon and grated parmesan, stuffing, and a Greek salad, all in a couple of hours!  While we were waiting for the turkey to I decided to finish it all off with a pie - cranberry apple pie.

We didn't have any cutters in the house, so I had a lot of fun cutting these shapes by hand.  The process was very organic and quieting and I felt reunited with my decision to pursue baking.

C r a n b e r r y   A p p l e    P i e

recipe adapted from here!

Crust

• 2 1/4cup(s)all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoon(s)sugar
• 3/4teaspoon(s)salt
• 1/2cup(s)cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2tablespoon(s)cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4cup(s)vegetable shortening
• 7tablespoon(s)iced water
• Filling
• 1/2cup(s)granulated sugar
• 1/4cup(s)packed brown sugar
• 3tablespoon(s)all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon(s)ground cinnamon
• 1/4teaspoon(s)grated nutmeg
• 1/4teaspoon(s)salt
• 3pound(s)baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1/2cup(s)dried cranberries
• 1tablespoon(s)fresh lemon juice
• 2tablespoon(s)cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 
  

Directions: 

I.  Crust: In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening; pulse until the mixture resembles meal, with pieces of butter the size of small peas. Turn the mixture into a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the water and toss with a fork. Drizzle in 2 to 4 tablespoons of the remaining water, tossing with a fork, until the dough starts to clump together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger, and press each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.

II.  Adjust racks to lower third of oven; heat oven to 425°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

III.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece of dough to a 13-inch circle. Ease into the pie plate, gently pressing dough against the sides and bottom of the plate. Trim edge, leaving 3/4-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press to make edge; refrigerate. Roll the remaining dough, take small balls of dough and roll them out until they look like thin vines.  Arrange them around the pie as you please!  Use the remainder of the rolled dough to cut out small leaves and 3 flowers.  Then use the knife to make the veins in each leaf.  Arrange them on top of the vines and around the edge.  Place the flowers where vines join together!

IV.  Filling: In a large bowl, mix the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add sliced apples and lemon juice; toss well to coat with sugar mixture. Turn filling into pie plate, arranging apples to minimize spaces between slices, and dot with butter.  Layer cranberries on top to make the crust design stand out.   Roll the remaining dough, take small balls of dough and roll them out until they look like thin vines.  Arrange them around the pie as you please!  Use the remainder of the rolled dough to cut out small leaves and 3 flowers.  Then use the knife to make the veins in each leaf.  Arrange them on top of the vines and around the edge.  Place the flowers where vines join together!

V. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake 25 minutes. Cover edge of crust with foil and slide a she et of foil onto rack under pie to catch any drips; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer, until crust is browned and juices have thickened and bubble at edge. Transfer pie plate to a wire rack; cool completely.