it’s valentine’s day week, and what better way to begin it than with lots and lots of pictures of my very festive pie…i mean look at the heart shape i cut out on the top!!!!
it’s just darling!
this is kate mcdermott’s cranberry pie…i made it because, not only is this a very “wintery” themed pie, but soon after thanksgiving these berries go on sale (and following in my mother’s footsteps) i always purchase enough to fill a few gallons ziplocs and store them away in my freezer for future use. as a result, there was no need for me to run to the grocery for ingredients. a happy surprise for me!
i’ve baked several versions of this pie over the years using lots of different crust recipes and sweeteners.
for this pie i used brown sugar for the sweetener. i had never used orange zest, but this additional flavor is so welcoming and pairs perfectly with the tart cranberries. 
this pie had a very sharp tart flavor and was only slightly sweet…so note to myself and to those dear ones who might want to make a cranberry pie: don’t ever under-estimate the amount of sweetener called for; more is always better when cranberries are being used. 
also i used a bit more water than i should have in the crust. the result was a little dense and not very flaky crust. such a disappointment, because the crust is always my favorite part of a pie.
but, a word in a humble pie’s favor: it was so pretty!!! and took a very lovely picture.
i’m not through in my attempts to create the perfect cranberry pie, just yet. i and hope to master it and create a lovely slightly tart pie, in the near future.
happy valentine’s day everyone!
~livi
livi + anne 