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Cranberry Pie

cranberrypiePecan pie and pumpkin pie are classic Thanksgiving desserts, but sometimes we’re looking for something a bit more light and airy after the heavy, filling dinner. If you’re the same, then this cranberry pie will be the answer to your holiday prayers. The tart-sweet cranberry filling tastes like a combination of coconut panna cotta, cranberry curd and, mysteriously, raspberry sorbet. Paired with a crushed Biscoff crust (that tastes like cookie butter), this pie is a stunning holiday dessert that will be the centerpiece to your table.

Crust:
¼ cup butter, melted
1 (8.8 oz) pkg Biscoff cookies, finely crushed
½ tsp. sea salt

Filling and Serving:
1 (.25 oz) pkg powdered gelatin
10 oz fresh or frozen cranberries (~ 2½ cups)
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 medium orange, freshly juiced
1 medium orange, freshly zested
1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp. ginger, freshly grated
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
½ tsp. pure almond extract, optional
¼ tsp. sea salt

To Serve:
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) and grease a 9" pie plate with butter.

Make the Crust:
In a large bowl, stir to combine Biscoff crumbs, butter, melted and salt. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a prepared pie plate.

Bake crust until golden and firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Combine gelatin and ¼ cup cold water in a small bowl; set aside to bloom, about 10 minutes.

Make the Filling:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice and zest and bring up to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have burst and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 7 minutes.

Add coconut milk, ginger, heavy cream, almond extract and salt to saucepan and stir to incorporate. Heat until steaming (but not yet simmering.), then remove from heat. Stir in bloomed gelatin until dissolved.

Use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender to purée the cranberry mixture until smooth. Strain into a bowl, discard solids and let mixture cool to room temperature.

Assembly:
Transfer cranberry mixture to the prepared crust and refrigerate until completely set, at least 6 hours. Serve with homemade whipped cream.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

  • The heavy cream: Those 2 Tbsp. of heavy cream make for a particularly silky pie, but can be left out if preferred. Whipped cream is highly recommended though to balance out the filling, so we recommend not skipping on the topping.
  • Let it all cool: A key for this recipe is to let the crust and cranberry-gelatin purée cool completely before putting the two together. If you don’t let them cool completely before incorporating, you risk the pie not setting up completely.
  • Variations: Warning: like cranberries, this pie is on the tart side. If you're not a fan of very tart desserts, there’s a couple of things you can do to ease up on the flavour: make sure you microplane the very top layer of the orange to avoid potential bitterness and cut down on the ginger if it’s not your fave.
  • Serving Suggestions: We love topping this with a bit of whipped cream but you can take it up another notch by flavouring the whipped cream in some way. Reserve a little orange zest and juice to triple down on the orange flavour. Or, add a couple tsp. of sour cream to add a bit more tang to the party.
  • Storage: This pie will keep for up to a week in the fridge and frozen for up to 5 months. Simply thaw it out in the fridge the next day and serve.