Tart And Sweet Cranberry Sage Pie Recipe

With the holiday season on its way, it's all about selecting the recipes you'll be serving your guests or bringing over for dinner. While there are plenty of dishes to choose from, dessert gets a special mention — an extra treat or two is always welcome. As Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins exclaims, "Tis the season for pies!" She further raves, "I LOVE pies. All pies. Equal pie enthusiast." 

Her latest creation is a tart and sweet cranberry sage pie recipe that she says is a "partial abandonment from the traditional 'saccharin-sweet' or 'rich and creamy' pie categories." She comments, "It has this bright tartness that still satisfies the sweet-tooth but also cleanses palates and livens-up the taste buds/mood after a big, pre-dessert, meal." Not to mention, she notes, "It makes for nice bedfellows with your other seasonal pies too (pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, pecan, etc...), perfect for a big holiday spread of desserts." 

You might reserve cranberries for turkey sauce, but the tart fruit has far more potential. Watkins lives close to "cranberry-land" and recalls a visit to a bog. "After that experience, I've gained an affinity for cranberries and the cran farmers," she says. For her that means stocking up in mid-November when they're in season, which she deems as "The best time for cranberry-themed pies, with Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) right at the apex."

For this recipe, get either fresh or frozen cranberries; if frozen, be sure to thaw and drain them first. Next, get granulated sugar, orange juice, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger), salt, vanilla extract, raw pie crusts, diced butter, chopped fresh sage, a beaten egg, demerara or turbinado sugar, and whipped topping or whipped cream to serve. 

Watkins describes sage as "a heady herb," and adds that it's "Full of woody, earthy elements that bring a sense of warmth to dishes. In this case, it brings a bit of rustic balance and fun sensory play to the tart cranberries. Cranberries and sage are a delightful, ideally seasonal pairing that I look forward to playing with in many more of my recipes."

Place cranberries in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Work in batches if necessary).

Transfer the chopped cranberries to a large bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Stir to combine the sugar and cranberries, and set aside to rest and marinate/macerate for 1 hour.

Once rested, add the orange juice, cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt, and vanilla to the cranberries, and stir to combine.

Transfer the seasoned cranberries to a large saucepan or pot, bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until thickened.

Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the pie crusts.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Unroll one of the crust portions and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the dough into the plate to evenly distribute and set aside (don't worry about crimping the edges just yet).

Unroll the other crust and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cut this crust into 1-inch wide strips, using a knife or pastry wheel, and set aside.

Spoon the cranberry filling into the dough-lined pie plate and spread out in an even layer.

Dot the top of the cranberry filling with butter and sprinkle with the chopped sage.

Place 5-6 strips of cut pie dough, evenly spaced, over the top of the pie.

Weave the remaining strips of pie dough through those original pieces, creating a lattice-like look. Cut off any dangling strips of dough and crimp the lattice-weaved pieces and the bottom crust together.

Place the pie on the prepared baking sheet (used to prep the lattice-weave strips) and brush the dough with egg wash.

Sprinkle the pie with demerara sugar and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown (if your pie is browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil).

Remove the pie from the oven and set aside to cool for 4 hours before slicing.

Dollop the portioned pie slices with whipped topping before serving.

It might seem unnecessary to macerate the cranberries in sugar for an hour, but Watkins asserts, "Let them berries sit in that sugar!" While the recipe is pretty straightforward, she comments, "That is the trickiest step and one that shouldn't be rushed." She further elaborates on the purpose of this step and explains, "This maceration softens the chopped cranberries (cranberries have tough skins) making them much more texturally palatable for our pie." Even though the cranberry filling is simmered, the maceration step provides more time for the fruit to soften and break down to a tender consistency. 

Additionally, letting the sour fruit sit in sugar for an extended period of time affects the taste too. "It also soothes some of that tartness, softening those mouth puckering elements," Watkins comments. You'll still get a tangy note on the palate but it will be subdued and more pleasant.

Once the pie finishes baking, Watkins instructs home bakers to let it sit and cool down for multiple hours. "That 4 hour rest allows for the starches and sugars to do their work," she comments, "Firming the filling to slice-able perfection." If you're making this pie early in the day for dinner, you may be tempted to refrigerate it until it's time to serve. Watkins warns against it at first, remarking, "That'll just sog-out your crust." 

"Room temp is the happy temperature for this pie," Watkins notes, which lends itself well to a whipped cream topping. Still, you can refrigerate covered leftovers if you aren't eating them the same day. When you're ready to polish off the rest, lightly heat the slice before serving — "just enough to remove the fridge-chill," per Watkins, then you can enjoy this Thanksgiving-themed recipe outside of the holiday, too.