Winter Celebration Pie
Sometimes I surprise myself by how much I love this time of year. This morning I went on a run from our downtown park up into our local mountain's watershed, and by the time I got up to about 3000 feet there was a fresh dusting of snow on the pines and manzanitas, the trail was crisp and slightly frozen, and in the distance Mount Ashland glowed pink and misty with the Southern Oregon sunrise.....I was in December trail runner heaven. It was the first run all season I've done without having to strip off layers due to overheating, by the time I started descending down my last hill into my neighborhood my fingers were still chilly, the moisture on my sunglasses had left a little coating of ice crystals, and my breath hung like a little cloud in the below-freezing air. During my run, I began scheming about Christmas dinner this year. I wanted to try out some new ideas, with the goal of sweet, satisfying yet still healthy and guilt-less desserts such as this winter fruit pie below.
My husband and I went home to Virginia for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. My mother baked FOUR delicious pumpkin pies in one day, which were quickly devoured within the next 48 hours by a bunch of hungry, happy runners. So Mike doesn't leave me, I'm still going to make a pumpkin pie for Christmas, but I am also going to throw in this pie which combines the colorful, bright, tart produce of our state's late autumn harvest, cranberries, pears, apples, oranges (well, at least in Florida they are in season....) and some crunchy pecans to honor the Texan part of my past.
Last summer when Mike and I made our first trail running trip to the Oregon coast, we were surprised to learn that the area near Port Orford, this remote, Oz-like piece of quiet, wild coastline, was surrounded by cranberry bogs. I am addicted to cranberries. Most people use cranberry sauce as a relish, I usually plop about 3 huge servings that take up half of my plate. This cranberry farm near a local state park, Cape Blanco Cranberries, supplies a significant amount of the local harvest of this tart, deep mauve holiday berry.
Ok, now its time to get a little medical....Cranberries are a winter wonder food. They have antibacterial properties. There is some evidence that cranberries may help prevent urinary tract infections due to their proanthocyanidins, which act as a barrier to bacteria against the lining of the urinary tract. There is also some early evidence that due to proanthocyanidins preventing attachment of bacteria to the lining of the stomach, cranberries may also help protect us against a common type of bacteria called H. Pylori, a known cause of stomach ulcers. Cranberries, in their whole, unprocessed form (like dehydrated, juice-extracted supplement form), as they are featured in this pie recipe, have also been shown to have cardiovascular and hepatic (liver) protecting properties. And like most wonder-foods, yes there is some evidence that they have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits, especially when the whole berry is consumed.
I also love this recipe because it brings back wonderful memories of the day my husband proposed to me on my parent's farm in central Virginia. The autumn leaves were at their peak, surrounding the fields with a kaleidescope of golden/orange/purple/red and the pears were falling ripe from the trees. There was an apple cider making festival going on up the hill from the pond where he proposed. I can still taste and smell the pears and apples and homemade baked goods wafting from the kitchen inside the 100 year old log cabin. I was in a state of wide-eyed bliss with a new ring on my finger as I watched my fiance crank the old-fashioned cider press outside in the crisp Virginia autumn air.
So, for your holiday meal, save some room for this zingy, fiber-filled, colorful Christmas dessert!
This recipe is Gluten Free if you use GF pie crust. You don't have to. If you can find vegan pie crust, then this recipe is also vegan! If you're Martha Stewart, and you have the desire and time to make your own pie crust, by all means go ahead, knock yourself out with all that chilled butter chopping and kneading and kneading and kneading....and rising...and rising...and kneading again.....
12 oz (1 bag) of fresh whole cranberries
1 cup of golden raisins
2 cups of chopped ripe (but not mushy) pears
2 tbsp of corn starch
2 tbsp of coconut oil (solid not melted!) cut into small pieces
zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup of apple cider
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/8 tsp of allspice
1/2 cup plus 1 tsp of sugar
1 double-pie crust shell ( I use pre-made Gluten Free ones from our local grocery store
1 cup of pecan halves or pieces
1 tbsp of almond milk
whip cream or vanilla ice cream if desired for serving
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Put cranberries, raisins, chopped pears, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan.
3. Heat over medium high heat until the mixture starts to boil and fruit softens up a bit, about 5 minutes. Don't let fruit get mushy!
4. Combine cornstarch and 1/2 cup water, mix well. Add to boiling fruit, stir well until fruit mixture is thickened slightly.
5. Remove pot from heat and add coconut oil, zest, cider, and spices and 1/2 cup sugar.
6. Line a pie pan with one crust. Sprinkle pecans evenly over the bottom pie crust.
7. Pour fruit mixture over bottom pie crust, spread to distribute evenly.
8. Lay the second crust over the top, pressing the edges of the top and bottom crust together to seal. Make a few thin knife slices in the top crust (to let the steam out during cooking).
9. Brush with the almond milk and sprinkle with a few pinches of sugar to make it pretty and sparkly:)
10. Set pie on a baking sheet (to catch any juices that bubble over during cooking) and put on middle rack of oven. Bake for 10 minutes then turn oven temperature down to 375 degrees F.
11. Bake for 35 to 40 more minutes until top crust is golden . If you have one of these:
a pie crust shield (thanks Mom!) this would be a good time to put it on to prevent the crust rim from burning.12. Remove from oven and put on cooling rack. Let cool for 20-30 minutes, serve with your favorite whip cream or ice cream if desired, or cover with a kitchen towel and save for later. Will stay fresh if kept in the fridge for up to a week. Can reheat in the oven at 250 degrees F for 20 minutes to serve warm.
Happy Chanukah, Happy Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year!
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| good question! |
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| he he....couldn't help it...:) |
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