Apple-Cranberry Pie - Cooks Illustrated

Published November 1, 2007.

Adding cranberries to an apple pie can result in out-of-balance flavors.

The Problem

Cranberries in an apple pie can overwhelm the subtle perfume of the apples and shed a lot of liquid, making for a soggy bottom crust.

The Goal

We wanted to find a way to combine these two classic fall fruits so that the full flavor of both came through and the crust remained crisp.

The Solution

Cooking the cranberries with a little sugar in a saucepan allowed 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 we assembled the pie, we arranged the cooked cranberries and the apples in two distinct layers, allowing the flavor of each to come through clearly.

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