Preheat oven to 350° F. Add gingersnap cookie crumbs, butter, brown sugar and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the crumbs are moistened, then transfer to a deep 9-inch pie dish. Use a measuring cup to press the crust firmly into the bottom and up sides of the dish.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crisp and slightly darkener. If the crust falls off the sides, use the measuring cup to gently press it back into place while still hot. Let cool. Crust can be baked up to 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until needed.
Add cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the berries burst and the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes. Puree in the food processor (or blender, if you wish), until as smooth as possible. This may take a good 3-4 minutes. Be careful whenever blending hot liquids – allow the mixture to cool down first if using a Nutribullet or a blender that does not allow steam to escape.
Add the cranberry purée, eggs, egg yolks, Meyer lemon zest, Meyer lemon juice, salt, and remaining ½ cup sugar to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Cook gently, while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until curd thickens and coats the spatula, about 10 minutes. Don’t rush this step, and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
Set a fine meshed strainer over a bowl, then pour the curd through. Press with a rubber spatula to make sure you get as much of the curd through as possible while leaving the bits of cranberry skin and coagulated egg in the strainer. Let cool until just warm.
Beat the warm curd with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, adding butter one piece at a time. Be sure each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat the curd until all the butter has been incorporated and it looks lighter in color and texture, about 5 minutes.
Pour the curd into the prepared crust, then smooth out the top. Gently bang the pie dish on the counter to remove any air bubbles, then chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Pie can be made 2 days ahead. Cover once filling is firm and keep chilled.
Boil ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat, then add the cranberries and cook until just starting to soften, about 1 minute. Use a perforated spoon to transfer the berries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes until just barely tacky.
Mix together the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and Meyer lemon zest in a small bowl. Roll cranberries in the sugar mixture until coated.
Top pie with cranberries right before serving. Serve with whipped cream on the side.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Add gingersnap cookie crumbs, butter, brown sugar and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the crumbs are moistened, then transfer to a deep 9-inch pie dish. Use a measuring cup to press the crust firmly into the bottom and up sides of the dish.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crisp and slightly darkener. If the crust falls off the sides, use the measuring cup to gently press it back into place while still hot. Let cool. Crust can be baked up to 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until needed.
Add cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the berries burst and the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes. Puree in the food processor (or blender, if you wish), until as smooth as possible. This may take a good 3-4 minutes. Be careful whenever blending hot liquids – allow the mixture to cool down first if using a Nutribullet or a blender that does not allow steam to escape.
Add the cranberry purée, eggs, egg yolks, Meyer lemon zest, Meyer lemon juice, salt, and remaining ½ cup sugar to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Cook gently, while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until curd thickens and coats the spatula, about 10 minutes. Don’t rush this step, and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
Set a fine meshed strainer over a bowl, then pour the curd through. Press with a rubber spatula to make sure you get as much of the curd through as possible while leaving the bits of cranberry skin and coagulated egg in the strainer. Let cool until just warm.
Beat the warm curd with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, adding butter one piece at a time. Be sure each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat the curd until all the butter has been incorporated and it looks lighter in color and texture, about 5 minutes.
Pour the curd into the prepared crust, then smooth out the top. Gently bang the pie dish on the counter to remove any air bubbles, then chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Pie can be made 2 days ahead. Cover once filling is firm and keep chilled.
Boil ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat, then add the cranberries and cook until just starting to soften, about 1 minute. Use a perforated spoon to transfer the berries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes until just barely tacky.
Mix together the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and Meyer lemon zest in a small bowl. Roll cranberries in the sugar mixture until coated.
Top pie with cranberries right before serving. Serve with whipped cream on the side.