Cranberry Cream Pie

I don't know why I bought so many cranberries in December.  It felt like there was a shortage, so I picked up one every time they were below $3, then only used them for canning mincemeat and cranberry sauce.  I had almost two bags in the freezer when I did inventory.  They're still available if you know where to look.  So I went looking for a recipe to use some of them.  It didn't have to be all in one shot, just an improvement.

Delish had 35 ideas, most of them derivations on a few themes: drinks, paired with brie, and baked goods.  A few were breakouts, like braised chicken.  When I saw the smooth, chiffon-like pie, I knew I had a pantry project dessert.  You can use frozen cranberries if it's the wrong time of year, since they're going through the blender anyway.  Delish has a recipe in the post for a Biscoff crust, but I had a graham crust in the pantry that I wanted to use.  The rest of the ingredients were things I keep on hand.

While you do have to start this early in the day because of the gelatin, it's very quick and easy to prep.  No eggs, no cornstarch base.  It's held together with the gelatin, natural pectin in the cranberries, and (unfortunately, full-fat) coconut milk.  You do have to get an appliance dirty to purée the cooked mixture, and I did not like cleaning the strainer.  Including the zester and citrus juicer, this really did produce a lot more dishes than I was expecting.  And that was without making the crust from scratch.

The recipe calls for a "medium" orange.  The Valencias on my tree are finally ripe, but on the small side.  I picked the largest and used orange blossom extract instead of almond to make up for it.  I don't like overly orange sweets anyway, and found the small one provided just the right balance.  I considered using rosewater as the extract flavoring too.  Don't get locked into vanilla or almond when a recipe calls for an extract.  Consider all the flavors you have on hand before making a choice.  If you want a standard-issue dessert, you can buy that.

You can refer to the original recipe post for the crust.  I do recommend making it 9".  Even with that large a space, I ended up with half a cup too much filling.  I poured that into a ramekin as cranberry/coconut gelatin.  You can make this whole dessert GF by doing that.

1 packet gelatin
*1 9" graham or Biscoff crumb crust
*10 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 C brown sugar
*1 small orange, zested and juiced
1 can coconut milk
*1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp almond or other extract
1/4 tsp salt
whipped cream for serving

1.  Soften gelatin in 1/4 C cold water and set aside until needed.

2.  Rinse cranberries.  Pick out any spoiled ones and stray stems.  If desired, set aside a few for garnish.  Place in a medium saucepan with brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice.  I thought that looked like a lot of sugar, but, cranberries.

3.  Bring mixture to a low boil over medium-low heat.  Stir frequently.  Cook until all of the cranberries have popped and the mixture starts to thicken, but isn't quite as thick as cranberry sauce.

4.  Add coconut milk, ginger, extract, and salt.  Stir and warm until the coconut milk has melted into the mixture.  Do not boil.  Remove from heat and stir in softened gelatin until dissolved.

Sorry about the blur

5.  Purée mixture.  You can use an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.  I did it in batches, because I don't have a great track record puréeing hot liquids.  Strain to remove skin and seeds.  You can discard them, or save the couple of tablespoons to stir into overnight oats.  Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to distribute the foam that the blender kicked up.

6.  Before the gelatin sets, pour filling into crust.  Chill 4-6 hours, until set.  If desired, roll extra cranberries in granulated sugar for a frosty look.  Garnish with whipped cream and reserved cranberries.

Makes one pie, about 8 servings

Difficulty rating  :)