Description
This Cranberry Custard Pie is a delightful blend of tart fresh cranberries and smooth, creamy custard nestled in a flaky pre-baked pie crust. Baked to perfection, it offers a beautiful balance of sweet and tangy flavors, enhanced with bright orange zest and juice. Perfect for festive occasions or cozy gatherings, this pie is best served chilled and can be garnished with whipped cream or festive decorations for an extra touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust
- 1 refrigerated pie crust or a deep 9-inch pie shell (store-bought or homemade)
Filling
- 4 cups (480 g / 17 oz) cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup (240 ml / 8 fl oz) orange juice (freshly squeezed preferred)
- 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp orange zest (from approximately 2 oranges)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), gas mark 4, to prepare for baking the pie.
- Roll out pie crust. Roll the refrigerated pie dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle on a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough frequently and add flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Line pie dish. Carefully transfer the rolled dough into a 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie pan, smoothing it down and trimming any excess dough. Crimp or flute edges as desired.
- Par-bake pie crust. Line the crust with parchment paper and tin foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans (using two standard sets of weights). Bake for 10 minutes, remove weights and liners carefully, then bake an additional 10 minutes until lightly golden.
- Cook cranberries. In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until simmering, then let cook for 4-5 minutes until most berries burst.
- Strain cranberries. Puree the cooked cranberries using an immersion blender, then press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to extract a smooth cranberry mixture. Measure out 2 cups for the filling.
- Mix filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, cranberry mixture, and orange zest until fully combined and thickened.
- Bake pie. Pour the cranberry custard filling into the pre-baked crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center is mostly set but still slightly wobbly. Cover edges with foil if crust darkens too much.
- Cool. Remove pie from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for approximately 2 hours.
- Refrigerate. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to set completely.
- Decorate. Optionally, garnish with sweetened whipped cream, fresh cranberries, red currants, sugared rosemary, or snowflake sprinkles for a festive presentation.
- Store. Cover leftover pie and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice and zest to maximize brightness of flavor.
- Let the pie cool completely before refrigerating to prevent condensation.
- Par-baking the crust helps keep it flaky and prevents sogginess from the custard filling.
- Cover pie crust edges with foil during baking if they start to overbrown.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries can be used interchangeably.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge up to 4 days.
