Christmas Recipes

Cranberry Fudge Pie

Cranberry Fudge Pie, with its flaky pastry crust and glistening, ruby-colored cranberry topping, delivers flavor in spades. With a semisweet chocolate ganache, nutty whole-grain flour in the crust, and tangy fruit, it has a little something for everyone.

Cranberry Fudge Pie recipe

Prep: 30 min | Bake: 30 to 32 min | Yield: 1 (9 inch) pie

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups (142g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup (46g) vegetable shortening
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, cold
  • 3 tablespoons (43g) orange juice
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons (28g to 43g) ice water

Chocolate Filling

  • 1 cup (170g) semisweet chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate, chopped*
  • 2/3 cup (152g) heavy cream

Cranberry Topping**

  • 4 cups (397g) cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 1/4 cups (248g) granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (227g) cranberry juice, divided
  • 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatine

Instructions

Crust

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the shortening and mix until everything is uniform and crumbly. Work in the butter, leaving some in dime-sized chunks. Drizzle the orange juice into the bowl while tossing the mixture with a fork. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough begins to gather around the fork. The mixture should hold together when gently squeezed.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a piece of parchment; use the parchment to fold the dough over on itself four or five times, until the dough comes together. Pat it into a disk about 3/4 inch thick, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan that’s at least 1 1/2 inches deep.
  4. Roll the crust into a 13 inch circle. Transfer it to the prepared pie pan, prick it all over with a fork, then trim and flute the edges. Line the crust with foil or parchment and pie weights and bake for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, remove the weights and liner, and return to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the center is light golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Filling

  1. Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat for 90 seconds.
  2. Remove from the microwave and stir until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps. Pour the chocolate into the bottom of the baked pie shell and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
  3. Refrigerate the pie for 2 hours, until the ganache is firm.

Cranberry Topping

  1. Place the cranberries, sugar, and salt in a 2 quart saucepan. Add 3/4 cup of the cranberry juice; reserve the rest. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to pop and the mixture thickens slightly.
  2. While the berries are cooking, sprinkle the gelatine over the remaining cranberry juice; stir after 1 minute if any dry spots remain. Once hydrated, stir the gelatine/juice mixture into the hot cranberry mixture.
  3. Remove the cranberry topping from the heat and transfer it to a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. When the filling is barely lukewarm but still fluid, pour it over the chilled chocolate filling in the pie shell.
  4. Refrigerate the pie for at least four hours (preferably overnight) before slicing.
  5. Store any leftovers, covered and refrigerated, for up to five days.

Notes

* Resist the urge to use bittersweet chocolate; with the acidic tang of the cranberries, it's just too much. You want a dark chocolate that's noticeably sweet; most chocolate chips will be fine.

** You'll need about 15 ounces (397g, a scant 1 1/2 cups) of this topping for the pie. Enjoy the remainder on its own, just as you would cranberry sauce.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: King Arthur Flour

Recipe by P.J. Hamel



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