Cranberry Pear Pie
Crust
- 1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
Filling
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups thinly sliced, peeled ripe pears
- 2 cups of sweetened dried cranberries
- A variation is 2 ½ cups of pears and 2 1/2 cups of apples, but the pears are much faster to peel and make a great pie all on their own.
Topping (crumble or lattice)
- 1 refrigerated pie crust, cut (I use scissors) and latticed on top
OR
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cold butter
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
If you’re in a major hurry, just grab a packet of crumble mix from the baking isle at the grocery store. Add a tablespoon of water and your done!
Mix the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl. Gently stir in the cranberries and pears until everything is mixed up and coated with yummy goodness. Pour it into the pie shell. Add your crumble or lattice. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour (400 degrees for the first 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 for the remaining 45). Remove foil. Bake for an extra 15 minutes or until crust is a golden brown.
Cranberry Orange & Pineapple Salad
- 1 bag of cranberries (for really quick, use a can of cranberry sauce)
- 3 snack packs of Mandarin oranges
- 1 large can of pineapple chunks
- 1/2 c walnuts (optional)
- 1 small box cherry jello
Dump jello out in a bowl add 1 c boiling water and 1 c juice. 1/2 from the oranges and 1/2 from the pineapple. Add the cranberries. Then drain the remaining juice from the pineapple & oranges and toss them in too. Mix well. If you want a little southern charm, add walnuts. If you can make it ahead. It is best when it sets up overnight. So SO easy!
Ok, now if you want to dress it up… (this takes an extra few minutes)
-
1 small wedge of Brie cheese
-
1/2 cup of the sauce from above (or your own cranberry sauce creation)
-
Use 30 frozen pre-cooked miniature phyllo shells, defrosted and place them on a baking dish