This Cranberry Pie is Good, But the Story is Better
Canadian thanksgiving weekend happened. And you know what I did all weekend? I ate. I also hung out with family.
So, it was a pretty standard North American Thanksgiving.
But there are two things that are sticking with me two weeks later:
1) A true story that my uncle recalled that I'm pretty sure is a modern day parable.
2) This pie. I still taste it in my dreams.
Let's use the story as our proverbial main course and the pie as the, well, dessert.
A few weeks ago while on a walk, my uncle stopped at a red light. Across the road, the sidewalk was being replaced with fresh, wet cement. A short distance from the construction zone there was a Tim Hortons coffee shop.
Maybe you can see where this is going?
While my uncle was waiting, a young man walked out of the Tim Hortons. He had his coffee in his hand and his headphones on his ears. Whatever he was listening to must've been good, because he was bopping his head to the music.
The young man was walking fast. Maybe he was late, maybe that is his normal pace, but one thing is for certain: he was not paying attention. As he turned onto the sidewalk, his eyes were not on the path in front of him. The construction worker laying the side walk hollered. He urgently shouted a warning for the young man to stop. But the music was bopping so that guy didn't hear him.
Schlop. Schlop.
It took the young man two solid steps into the construction zone to realize what was going on. Ankle-deep in cement, he looked around in shock and exclaimed a word that doesn't belong on this blog.
On the surface, it's a funny story about someone's misfortune. But if you are in the mood for some allegorical thinking, that story will stick with you for days. It's deep, man.
While you are thinking about what it all means, I'll lighten the mood a little with Cranberry pie. Why? Because Christmas is only two months away and you need bring more than just The Parable Of The Cement Sidewalk to your family dinner.
I took this good-lookin' pie to two of our three turkey dinners, and leftovers to work the day after, and it was a hit everywhere it went. I highly recommend it, assuming you're not diabetic.
Cranberry Pie
Adapted slightly from The View from Great Island
1 12 ounce bag Cranberries, fresh
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 box Gingersnaps (390g)
5 tbsp butter, melted
3 tbsp Brown sugar
3 Eggs, large
1/2 cup Lemon juice, fresh
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, unsalted
1) Set oven to 350
2) Set aside a dozen cranberries of various sizes for garnish and place them back in the fridge.
3) Combine 1 cup of sugar, the remaining cranberries, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened.
4) While the cranberries are simmering, prepare the crust. Crush the gingersnaps in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Empty into a bowl and combine with the brown sugar and melted butter. You may require a little bit more butter, if it is still very crumbly, but go easy: a little bit of butter goes a long way!
5) Press the gingersnap mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and cook in the warmed oven until golden (about 15 minutes).
6) At this point, you are going to take a little break. The crust and thickened cranberries need to cool slightly. Go brush your teeth, wash your face, read a trashy magazine. 15 minutes later, come back to lovingly finish your pie.
7) Puree the cranberry mixture until completely smooth. Whisk the pureed cranberries, salt, egg yolks, eggs and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not abandon the saucepan; it needs you and your stirring magic. It takes about 10 minutes.
8) Using a mesh strainer, strain the cranberry mixture. Use a wooden spoon to push it through. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add the butter to the mixture, stirring to melt it.
9) Pour the cranberry mixture into the pie crust and smooth it around. Place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
10) If you want to garnish the pie after its set, you can use the cranberries you saved. When I made mine, I found that taking them out of the fridge provided enough condensation that I could roll them in sugar and it would stick, making them all pretty. I added a couple of rosemary sprigs from the garden, too, but it doesn't need it.
So there you have it: now you've got a story and a pie to take to your next big gathering.
So, it was a pretty standard North American Thanksgiving.
But there are two things that are sticking with me two weeks later:
1) A true story that my uncle recalled that I'm pretty sure is a modern day parable.
2) This pie. I still taste it in my dreams.
Let's use the story as our proverbial main course and the pie as the, well, dessert.
A few weeks ago while on a walk, my uncle stopped at a red light. Across the road, the sidewalk was being replaced with fresh, wet cement. A short distance from the construction zone there was a Tim Hortons coffee shop.
Maybe you can see where this is going?
While my uncle was waiting, a young man walked out of the Tim Hortons. He had his coffee in his hand and his headphones on his ears. Whatever he was listening to must've been good, because he was bopping his head to the music.
The young man was walking fast. Maybe he was late, maybe that is his normal pace, but one thing is for certain: he was not paying attention. As he turned onto the sidewalk, his eyes were not on the path in front of him. The construction worker laying the side walk hollered. He urgently shouted a warning for the young man to stop. But the music was bopping so that guy didn't hear him.
Schlop. Schlop.
It took the young man two solid steps into the construction zone to realize what was going on. Ankle-deep in cement, he looked around in shock and exclaimed a word that doesn't belong on this blog.
On the surface, it's a funny story about someone's misfortune. But if you are in the mood for some allegorical thinking, that story will stick with you for days. It's deep, man.
While you are thinking about what it all means, I'll lighten the mood a little with Cranberry pie. Why? Because Christmas is only two months away and you need bring more than just The Parable Of The Cement Sidewalk to your family dinner.
I took this good-lookin' pie to two of our three turkey dinners, and leftovers to work the day after, and it was a hit everywhere it went. I highly recommend it, assuming you're not diabetic.
Cranberry Pie
Adapted slightly from The View from Great Island
1 12 ounce bag Cranberries, fresh
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 box Gingersnaps (390g)
5 tbsp butter, melted
3 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
3 Eggs, large
1/2 cup Lemon juice, fresh
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, unsalted
- 1 Thyme sprigs or mint, fresh leaves
2) Set aside a dozen cranberries of various sizes for garnish and place them back in the fridge.
3) Combine 1 cup of sugar, the remaining cranberries, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened.
4) While the cranberries are simmering, prepare the crust. Crush the gingersnaps in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Empty into a bowl and combine with the brown sugar and melted butter. You may require a little bit more butter, if it is still very crumbly, but go easy: a little bit of butter goes a long way!
5) Press the gingersnap mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and cook in the warmed oven until golden (about 15 minutes).
6) At this point, you are going to take a little break. The crust and thickened cranberries need to cool slightly. Go brush your teeth, wash your face, read a trashy magazine. 15 minutes later, come back to lovingly finish your pie.
7) Puree the cranberry mixture until completely smooth. Whisk the pureed cranberries, salt, egg yolks, eggs and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not abandon the saucepan; it needs you and your stirring magic. It takes about 10 minutes.
8) Using a mesh strainer, strain the cranberry mixture. Use a wooden spoon to push it through. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add the butter to the mixture, stirring to melt it.
9) Pour the cranberry mixture into the pie crust and smooth it around. Place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
10) If you want to garnish the pie after its set, you can use the cranberries you saved. When I made mine, I found that taking them out of the fridge provided enough condensation that I could roll them in sugar and it would stick, making them all pretty. I added a couple of rosemary sprigs from the garden, too, but it doesn't need it.
So there you have it: now you've got a story and a pie to take to your next big gathering.
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