Apple-Cranberry Pie

Cooking the cranberries with a little sugar in a saucepan allows the berries to completely break down (whole berries delivered a sour burst in the mouth) and the cranberry juice to thicken, eliminating the soggy crust. And microwaving the apples until they just turned translucent kept them from turning too soft while baking. When assembling the pie, arranged the cooked cranberries and the apples in two distinct layers, allowing the flavor of each to come through clearly.

Ingredients

1. 2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
2. ¼ cup orange juice
3. 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon for top of pie
4. ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. ½ teaspoon table salt
6. ¼ cup water
7. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
8. 3 ½ pounds sweet apples (6-7 medium), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
9. 1 recipe Foolproof Pie Dough
10. 1 egg white, beaten lightly

Directions

1. Bring cranberries, orange juice, ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally, while pressing the berries against the side of the pan with a spoon to assist in breaking the berries down. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the berries achieve a thick consistency (scrapping spoon across bottom of pan leaves a trail that does not fill in). Remove from heat, and stir in water. Cool to room temperature (30 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, mix ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, and cornstarch in large microwave-safe bowl. Add apples and toss to coat. Microwave on high, stirring every 3 minutes, for 10-14 minutes or until the edges of the apples are slightly translucent and liquid has thickened. Cool to room temperature (30 minutes).
3. Move oven rack to the bottom and place a baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 425°.
4. Roll one disk of the refrigerated dough out to a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick on a generously floured surface. Place dough in pie pan, leaving a 1-inch dough overhang. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Spread the cranberry mixture evenly in the dough-lined pie pan. Top with apple mixture.
6. Roll the second dough disk out to a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick on a generously floured surface. Place on top of the pie, leaving a 1-inch overhang.
7. Cut both layers of the overhanging dough, leaving ½ inch overhang. Fold the dough under so it’s flush with the pie pan edge. Crimp pie edges. Brush top of pie with egg whites, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut slits in top of pie dough.
8. Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°, rotate baking sheet, and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes, or crust is deep golden brown.
9. Cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes