I love cranberries and am always thinking of new ways to feature them especially during the holidays. I make Brandied Cranberries, Cosmopolitans, Waldorf Salad, Cheddar and Port Wine Cheese Ball (to name a few that are on this site). This year I decided I wanted to serve a dessert for Christmas Eve that contained these lovely ruby red gems.
Coincidentally, a couple of months ago, my dear friend Angela loaned me a book she thought I would enjoy by Laurie Colwin entitled “More Home Cooking”. Enjoy?!?! It’s like reading a book written by my sister by another mother! She thinks the way I do. (Scary in and of itself!) However, even though we think alike, she is a true gourmet. I am merely a cheeseburger loving pagan compared with her tastes and culinary abilities. Never-the-less, her book is like listening to me talk and most of her recipes look and sound like they would be fabulous. And there in black and white was a recipe for a Nantucket Cranberry Pie. (It calls itself a pie, but in truth it is a cake!) And the recipe looked super easy to make! So I went on-line and researched other recipes for this simple dessert. Low and behold almost all the recipes were very similar. I tweaked Laurie’s recipe a bit and came up with my own version.
I am here to tell you, this is one of the best desserts I have ever had the pleasure to serve my guests. And it is beautiful, so it is perfect to serve over the holidays. It looks festive and tastes like you have slaved in the kitchen for hours. (I like that combination.) But the reality is that you don’t even have to use an electric mixer, just a whisk. And in about 5 minutes the batter is ready to pour over the fresh cranberries and nuts. Yum! And of course, you know me. While I’m at it, let’s further guild the lily and add a dollop of freshly made whipped cream! After all, it’s the holidays and even those of us who don’t enjoy sweets that much go to bed dreaming about tomorrow morning’s cinnamon roll. So, what’s an extra dollop or two of whipped cream among friends during the holidays? Speaking of reasons to celebrate – Happy New Year everyone and thanks again for reading my blog.
- 2 c. halved fresh cranberries
- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
- 1 1/2 c. sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 c. (12 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or 1/4 tsp. if using salted butter)
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- coarse white sparkling sugar, opt.
- freshly whipped heavy cream, opt.
Generously butter a 10″ pie plate or spring-form pan. Spread the chopped cranberries and nuts in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 1 cup sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. When thoroughly combined stir in the flour just until absorbed into the other ingredients. Do not over-mix. Spread the thick batter over the cranberries and nuts.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the coarse white sparkling sugar atop the batter. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean of batter or crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven. Serve warm, or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.
