Apple Cranberry Pie for Thanksgiving - The Sweet Spot - Cooking

Mom and Apple Cranberry Pie

No Comments | Written on November 17, 2011 at 11:00 am, by Amy Palanjian

courtesy of Amy Palanjian

My husband and I are heading west, for Thanksgiving this year, where among the dishes laid out for the feast I’m sure to find one thing—an apple cranberry pie.

In chatting with our aunt (the hostess), she asked if I had any holiday “must-haves.” Having for years stayed close to home for the holidays, spending them with friends, means my food traditions have gotten a bit watered down. It’s also made me much more flexible. I can go to a new home for Turkey Day and (as long as there’s a good cook in the kitchen!) just enjoy the food without worrying that anything is missing.

That said, I do remember my paternal grandmother’s cranberry-nut bread, which was somehow always freezing cold (I think she made the loaves ahead of time and cut it pretty close with the defrosting) as we slathered it with cream cheese. My mom has continued to make this bread in her own way (less sugar, more whole-wheat pastry flour).

And we always had pie.

Every year, my mom made apple-cranberry pie—actually she usually made at least two of them because we liked leftovers. It was a no-fuss pie: She used the recipe on the bag of cranberries, and used frozen pie crust that you could unfold right onto the pie plate. I would help peel the Granny Smith apples and snack on the peel before the majority of it went down the garbage disposal.

Whether we traditionally had whipped cream or ice cream served with it, I can’t remember—because for me it was all about the pie, sweet from the apples and spices and tart from the cranberries, all sandwiched between flaky crusts. But the best part of all? Eating a leftover slice of pie, cold and straight from the fridge, the Friday-morning after. It was just that good.

If you haven’t tried this variation of the classic apple pie, I heartily recommend it. Here’s a recipe for Apple Cranberry Pie that’s pretty close to the one I remember.