Cranberry Custard Pie

Seems like these days The Chef is spending more time rockin' the Gibson Flying V and less time rockin' the kitchen, and that means I get more "stove time" so yay!! I'm baking!! Seriously, as he is putting together a new band there is a lot of work to do. Working with other musicians can be as challenging as it is rewarding. You already know about his musical background, so let's talk about the future- still no solid band name, lots of ideas being tossed around. The lineup is complete with Mike, Steve and Dave rounding out the talent. The set list is mostly classic rock, not as heavy as I usually like, but its solid, has a great variety or eras and a lot of songs people are going to want to sing along with. 

The Chef is a big fan of Uncle Ted so Stranglehold is one he is particularly excited to play. He's got some Tom Petty in there, and the Buckethead/Alien Ant Farm version of Smooth Criminal, and of course, true classics from Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. He is a HUGE fan of Chicago so 25 or 6 to 4 is in the mix too. I tried to get him to add some Damn Yankees, to no avail, but a couple other suggestions might actually make the set list. I haven't given up on the Damn Yankees though. A girl can always hope, right?

The guys have been at this for a while now, sometimes derailed by the unpredictable Iowa winter weather. Schedule a practice on Monday and by Friday you're knee deep in heavy wet snow. Reschedule for Sunday but now it's 65 degrees and at least one guy is sopping up water in his basement. Plan on next weekend, but hey, ice storm!

As springtime reluctantly begins to shine here in Iowa, many of us, myself included, are thinking of all the beautiful spring berries that are starting to pop up in stores. Raspberries are by far my favorite of all berries, but there is a close second that you might find surprising. I mean, on one hand, we have plump, juicy and so sweet raspberries, and on the other we have kind of waxy textured, definitely not juicy and absolutely NOT sweet, and not in season in spring, cranberries. I love those guys! So much so that when they are in season, I will grab several bags of fresh crans and toss them in the freezer for later. When the holidays roll around I can always whip out a bag of cranberries and make homemade sauce, but I also like using them in other recipes, and outside of the normal cranberry season they are fun and unexpected. Which brings us to this pie. In all honesty I DID make this for Christmas dinner, but.... since I still have four bags of cranberries in the freezer this is something easy and inexpensive that I can whip up in a minute.

I make my own pastry usually but you absolutely can use purchased pastry- just roll it out and fit it into your pan, or use frozen in a disposable pan. I won't judge. Another pantry item I always have on hand is heavy whipping cream. I say pantry because I buy shelf stable heavy whipping cream at Trader Joe's. It's in the baking aisle and it comes in little boxes like juice boxes. No refrigeration is needed until you open the package. It's the best invention ever.

Cranberry Custard Pie

Adapted from Country Living

1 recipe single crust pie pastry

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries*

1 cup sugar, divided

1 tablespoon flour

1 egg white

1 cup heavy whipping cream

*If using frozen cranberries, allow the thaw at room temperature for an hour or so. I spread them out on a sheet pan to help them thaw quickly.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare the pastry, roll out and fit into 9 inch pie plate. Flute and crimp edge. Set aside.

Stir together 2/3 cups of sugar with the flour. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold into the flour mixture, stirring in the cream as well.

Pour the cranberries into the pie shell. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup sugar over the cranberries, then pour the cream mixture over all. 

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely before serving. 

This pie is the perfect combination of sweet and tart and is absolutely wonderful with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Try it!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Holiday memories and cranberries

Are you an entertainer? Like the dinner party host/hostess of a generation ago? I am. I love cooking for other people. LOVE putting together fabulous meals that require lots of prep and shopping and planning and time tables. Perfect place settings with real china and silver, crisp linens and starched napkins. Place cards. The whole bit. One year for Thanksgiving I did exactly that. The whole nine yards and then some. Oh the menu was fantastic. Rather than the usual family dinner of people swarming the kitchen plopping food on plates I recruited my daughters to help me serve the courses. What was the menu?

Trio of Appetizers:

Shrimp Martini

Mini Crab Quiche

Sweet Corn Madeleines with Creme Fraiche and Caviar

***

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Custards

***

Baby Field Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette

***

Herbed Roast Turkey

Chestnut Stuffing

Rustic Mashed Potatoes with Pan Gravy

Green Beans Amandine

Cranberry Sauce with Roasted Shallots and Port

***

Pumpkin Pie

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Nut Praline Tart

Ohhhhhh if only people had started taking food pictures all the time 12 years ago........

What does this menu have to do with anything? Nothing really and I am NOT sharing every recipe right now- good grief, this would be the longest blog post in the history of mankind. But I happen to have a freezer full of cranberries and a chicken to roast so I thought I'd dig out this cranberry sauce recipe and share. I did not write this recipe- it's from an old issue of Bon Appetit magazine from November, 2002. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Cranberry Sauce with Roasted Shallots and Port 

18 shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise through root end

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

5 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 2/3 cups ruby port

1/3 packed brown sugar

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1/4 cup dried currants or raisins

1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss shallots with oil and 3 teaspoons of the thyme, spread onto rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Mix 1 tablespoon of the vinegar with 1 tablespoon of sugar, drizzle over shallots.Continue roasting about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

In saucepan bring port, brown sugar, remaining vinegar and 1/2 cup sugar to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and currents, cook until berries pop, stirring occasionally. Mix in marjoram and remaining thyme. Stir in shallots. Transfer to bowl and chill overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature. Can be made ahead and refrigerated.

Of all the holidays our family has celebrated, this one was truly memorable. The food was divine, yes, A LOT of work and prep but so worth it. I hope that some day you and your family will give this one a try. It really is delicious. And just maybe I'll share a few more of these recipes in future posts.