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Gingersnap Crust | www.theeverykitchen.com

Cranberry-Pear Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Adapted from a recipe for Cranberry-Lime Pie with Gingersnap Crust by Bon Appetit.
Servings 8
Author Danielle Cushing

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 4 ounces gingersnap cookies
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

For the filling:

  • 8 ounces fresh cranberries divided
  • 8 ounces fresh pear cored and diced, divided
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar divided
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature

Instructions

For the crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place gingersnaps and pecans in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add butter and brown sugar and pulse to combine. Place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish and press firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake until firm and slightly darkened, about 15 minutes. If crust starts to brown before becoming firm, cover in foil and continue to bake. Let cool before filling.

For the filling:

  1. Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 6 ounces cranberries and 6 ounces pears, reserving the rest for garnish. Add 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until cranberries burst and the liquid has thickened, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
  2. Using a double-boiler, cook the cranberry-pear puree, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, salt, 1/2 cup sugar over simmering water. Stir often until curd thickens, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
  3. Transfer curd to large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat curd on medium-high and add butter slowly and in small pieces. Curd should start to look lighter in color. When all the butter is incorporated and the mixture is smooth, spread evenly in the pie crust. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.

For the garnish:

  1. Place a small pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining cranberries and diced pear and cook about 1 minute, until slightly softened. Transfer fruit to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Chill about 30 minutes until fruit is no longer sticky.
  2. Place remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Toss chilled fruit in the sugar until well-coated. Top pie with sugared fruit and serve.