Cranberry Pie

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

This time of year, cranberry season, this recipe comes out of the recipe box. I cut it out of Redbook magazine years ago and still have it glued to a recipe card. This is an unusual "pie". It's made in a pie plate and has a crust on top but no bottom crust. The introduction that appears on my recipe card says "An out-of-the-ordinary pie, this easy, tasty, nut and berry dessert has a cakelike crust."

Do you ever see a recipe that looks a bit unusual and you make it and not only are surprised at the taste but surprised you were captivated by it because it is a bit different? Growing up with a traditional pie baker in the house, I don't know what drew me to this but I'm glad I found it.

This is an interesting dessert: the cranberries are bright in color and tart while the thin crust is crisp on the top and sweet. Interesting blend of textures and flavors. This is really easy to make, about 5 minutes of preparation time!

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3.4 c chopped walnuts
3/4 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c flour
1/3 c melted butter

Grease a 9 inch pie plate or fluted quiche dish. Add cranberries and sprinkle with nuts and 1/3 sugar. Beat the egg with the remaining 1/4 c sugar and then add the flour and butter and beat until no lumps remain. Pour the batter over the berry mixture and bake 45 min at 325 degrees F until the crust is a light golden brown.

The recipe says to serve with a spoon. Once this completely cools, it can be cut into pie shaped slices. But it usually doesn't last long enough to cool!