Apple Cranberry Pie

 

This is a beautiful pie that I first tried last year, but I felt it was too thick. This year's version is more to my liking. It is colorful and tart, and sets up well without being heavy. This might become a new favorite!

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup butter

50g coconut oil

1/4 cup ice cold water

Pulse flour, sugar, butter, and coconut oil in a food processor until it's crumbly. Add the water all at once and then mix, pulsing now and then, until is starts to come together in a ball. Turn out on a piece of wax paper, gather into a ball, and let rest 10 minutes in the fridge. Repeat. (The second one is for the lattice top.)

For the filling:

6 cups apples, peeled and sliced

4 cups fresh cranberries

juice of 1/2 lemon

zest of a small orange

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the fruit with the lemon juice and orange zest. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and spices thoroughly and then stir into the fruit. Let it macerate while you roll out the bottom crust and line a deep dish pie pan. Dip your finger into some cold water and run it all the way around the crust dough on the rim of the pie. This will help the lattice pieces stick to it. Pour the fruit mixture into the bottom crust, dot with the diced butter, and then roll out the second crust. Cut the second crust into ten to fourteen strips and weave into the top...

My technique is to lay down half the strips evenly across the pie. Then fold back every other strip half way and lay the longest cross strip across the middle. Replace the folded strips and fold back the other ones and lay down a new strip. Repeat to the edge of the pan and do the other side. Fold up the bottom crust to enclose all the ends of the lattice strips and then pinch all around the edge to seal.

Beat one egg in a small bowl and use a BBQ basting brush to paint the egg wash all over the top crust. Sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon sugar. Use strips of foil or a pie crust shield to cover the edge of the crust to keep it from burning. Bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the foil or pie shield and turn down the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 2 hours.

This pie is delicious with Breyer's Natural Vanilla (the one true ice-cream for pie). We also thought its flavors paired well with homemade fresh ginger ice-cream.