I'm easy to please when it comes to pie, have never met one I didn't like. And this one, well, not only did it please me but it's made it to the top of our T-Day Pie List! It's refreshing, tart and sweet with a touch of cake-like texture, you're going to love it...oh, one more thing to love about this pie, there isn't any pie crust to make!
Somehow I managed to talk the mister into flying to SLC to see the family and attend our annual Whobilation/Grinchmas party. He agreed it was time for him to make an appearance, lest the nieces and nephews go back to calling him Uncle Phantom. He was not amused when I told him he had to not only attend the Whobilation but he had to dress up like the Grinch. Perfect casting, no? Then Covid reared it's ugly head again and we were been put back into lockdown, so our trip had to be postponed. I was very sad; I moped around the house for a few days, feeling all those rocks in rock bottom. Me being sad makes the mister crazy, he wants to "fix" things (so I'll be happy and make him his favorite foods) but he can't fix Covid. As sad as I was/am, the mister seems to be euphoric! Oh he's not happy about Covid, he's happy that he doesn't have to go see the fam! When I told him we needed to get a new artificial Christmas tree he practically bolted out of his chair and said, "Let's go!" I almost fell over backwards. When I told him I needed to pick up a few Grinch things for the kids he replied, "Great idea, let's go!" The mister being happy is not normal. The mister being happy about going shopping is really not normal but the mister being happy about going shopping for anything related to Christmas is so far out of the normal category that I fear the Earth will fall out of orbit! You might say I'm in shock even, me sad, him happy, the end must be near!
This pie brought me back to my senses. It calmed the last frazzled nerve the mister managed to find and gave me a reason to smile again. It has curative properties for sure! Don't take my word for it, make this super easy pie for yourself and get ready to push Pumpkin Pie over to the corner!
With 5 minutes of baking time left, the pie is sprinkled with granulated sugar and then put back into the oven to finish baking. The sugar gives the pie a nice crispy/crunchy top, something to write home about I should think!
Nantucket Cranberry Pie - Adapted From Pioneer Woman via Laurie Colwin
1 stick butter, melted, plus more for the pie tin
2 heaping cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup pecans, chopped, toasted or not
1 2/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ice cream or freshly whipped cream for topping, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch deep pie pan. Add the cranberries to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle on the pecans, then sprinkle on 2/3 cup sugar. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until lightly beaten. Whisk in the melted butter and almond extract. Gently stir in 1 cup sugar, the flour and salt until combined. Pour batter slowly over the berries to evenly cover the surface, spreading to the edges with a spatula if necessary. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake part comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. About 5 minutes before removing from the oven, sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar for a little extra crunch. Serves 8 to 10. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
You won't miss the pie crust. In fact, you'll swear it's there, like my foodie friend did. I like this pie-cake hybrid so very much, not because it's super easy but because it's super good. It reminds me of the recipe for French Cran-Apple-Almond Tart that I adore, you can find that recipe by clicking here. And if you need any Thanksgiving recipes, including how to make the best dang turkey this side of the Motherland, grab yourself a cuppa, look on the sidebar, scroll down to Thanksgiving, click on that and sit back and be prepared to have your taste buds tickled.