Cranberry Apple Pie
Ok so this is my last Thanksgiving recipe coming at you and I saved the best for last -my cranberry apple pie. One of the reasons I love pie for dessert is that it is actually better if you make it the day before which is perfect for Thanksgiving or any holiday dinner.
Couple things to note about the recipe. First if you want to make it just a straight apple pie, just bring down the sugar to 2/3 cup and omit the cranberries. Also, I like to cook down my filling a little before assembling the pie, this helps prevent any sogginess. Lastly the cook time depends on how fresh your apples are. If they are straight off the tree then they make take longer the 7 minutes to soften. However if your apples are store bought and there is a change they were picked a couple weeks ago, watch the apples a little more closely because the older the apple, the faster is breaks down when you cook them.
Here is how I would prep out this pie to make it super easy to make. Make the pie dough 3 days in advance, wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator overnight. 2 days before Thanksgiving make the filling, cool and store in the refrigerator. The day before Thanksgiving assemble the pie and bake it off. Let is sit at room temperature overnight. The day of Thansgiving it will be all ready for you and the only thing you will have to think about is whether to serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Cranberry Apple Pie
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 1/2 - 4 lbs apples, such as granny smith, peeled, cored and diced into 1" cubes
3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz fresh cranberries
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 rounds of pie dough
1 egg mixed with 2 tsp. heavy cream
Serve with vanilla ice cream
In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the apples begin to soften. Add the cranberries and cook for about 5 minutes or until some of the cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat and fold in vanilla extract and corn starch. Let cool to room temperature.
Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
On a well floured surface roll out both rounds of pie dough into roughly a 12" diameter, about 1/8" thick. Using your rolling pin, gently place one of the rolled out rounds of pie dough into a pie plate. Refrigerate while you cut the lattice out of the remaining pie dough. Using a ruler and a knife cut the remaining pie dough into 1 1/2" thick strips. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
Assemble the pie by gently pouring in the apple filling into the pie plate that is lined with pie dough. (If there is a lot of liquid that has leached off of the pie, consider removing some of it, this will prevent the pie from being soggy). Brush the egg wash along the edge of the pie dough. Create the lattice crust and seal the pie (see video). Brush the lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake pie for 60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the filling has started to bubble. (Tenting with foil as needed to prevent the crust from burning) .
Let the pie cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours, preferablely overnight. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8