Black and White Cranberry Pie

Oh my god, you guys, as I write this I am in a heavenly pie coma.  This pie was absolutely divine with a crunchy chocolate crust, a smooth sweet white chocolate ganache, and a sweet but a little tart cranberries.  Ho, ho, ho indeed.

I love holiday parties.  Really, I love the entire month of December.  I have been lucky enough for the past years to have a good chunk of vacation from school in order to spend time spreading holiday cheer.  I love spending time shopping, baking, wrapping, and decorating.  And holiday parties provide a much needed outlet for my festive activities (my family can only eat so many cookies and open so many gifts by themselves).

I had bookmarked this pie to make over a year ago, but my family is just not as huge a fan of cranberries as I am.  Luckily, I had a holiday party with my fellow tutors I had worked with this semester, and the opportunity to bake this pie could not be passed up.  Although the temperature was in the 80’s and my air conditioning was on, this pie definitely helped put me in the holiday spirit.  Christmas in Texas, folks, can always be made better with pie.

BLACK AND WHITE CRANBERRY PIE

Pie Adapted from The Pastry Queen via Pink Parsley

Crust slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS

For the Chocolate Crust:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
Pinch of Salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces
1 egg yolk
4-5 tablespoons ice water

For the Pie:
2 cups cranberries, rinsed
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
16 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust:

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Process until mixed.  Add butter and process until crumbs are formed.  Add egg yolk and 3 tablespoons water.  Process, adding a tablespoon of water as needed, until a soft dough forms.  Press into disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll dough in a 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface with a piece of parchment paper on top.  Place on 9 inch pie pan and press down.  Cut off any overhang and crimp as desired.  Prick the bottom of a pie with a form.  Freeze for 20 minutes.

Line pie with butter aluminium foil and fill with dried beans.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove pie weights and aluminium foil.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until bottom of crust is dry.  Let cool for 30 minutes.

For the Pie:

While the crust cools, combine cranberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook for 5-8 minutes until cranberries have softened but not popped.  Pour in colander to remove excess liquid as needed.  Taste and add additional sugar if desired.

Place chopped white chocolate in a large measuring cup or bowl.  In another saucepan, combine heavy cream, corn syrup, and butter.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Pour over white chocolate and whisk until smooth.  Stir in cranberries.  Pour mixture into pie crust.  Chill at least 1 1/2 hours, or overnight.

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