User's avatarJoey B

Cranberry Curd Pie

This seasonal tart is packed with a punch of flavor that is oh so sweet and sour at the same time!

Time1 hour plus chill time
Yield1 medium pie
Recipe of Cranberry Curd Pie by Joey B

Ingredients

  • crust
  • 5 oz Ginger Snaps (18-20 cookies)
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp melted butter
  • ** for holidays, I switched out Dutch Speculoos windmill cookies.
  • filling
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks in addition
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 tbsp of butter; chunks at room temperature
  • garnish
  • handful of cranberries; rinsed and rolled in pure sugar

Steps

  1. Start with the crust. Pulverize cookies with a pestle or food processor. This should be crumbles and not sandy.
  2. Add the walnuts and sugar next. Again, it should result in a dusty crumble.
  3. Last, cut in the butter enough so that it does not get to a soggy paste. Press into a glass pie plate starting from the center, out.
  4. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes and then set aside.
  5. For the filling, first the cranberries need to be "popped." Dissolve only 1 cup of the sugar in 1/4 cup of water and simmer. Add in the cranberries (saving a few for decor.) I cover for the first 5 minutes as the berries will splash a very red dye as they burst. Continue stirring for at least a good 15 minutes so that it makes a thick syrup.
  6. Let it cool first and then puree it to a pulp.
  7. Once it is only slightly warm, whisk the eggs, yolks, remaining sugar, salt & lemon juice into the cranberries. Stir constantly over a medium heat to avoid burn or curdling. It should get quite thick but never bubble over.
  8. Allow to cool a bit. And then strain to remove any seeds or yolk clumps. ** I was going to avoid this step but it makes all the difference in a smooth curd for the pie. It will seem like you are losing a lot of excess in the process, but because the curd is so strong, you will have plenty for the tart layer.
  9. If it has cooled too much, warm just enough to melt the butter clumps. Stir gently allowing both to blend and then pour into crust and smooth on top.
  10. Chill for a good 2 hours before eating. Decorate the top with simple candied cranberries.