Cranberry Pie, Oh My, Oh My

A new pie, inspired by the many (local) cranberries left over even after Thanksgiving-- during which season we made cranberry-apple pie, cranberry sauce, and cranberry-orange relish. All delicious. I had never had a cranberry pie, and I found few recipes that attempted what I was after. So I largely made it up myself.

The crust was the (new) usual: made with lard and butter.

For the filling, I took 4 cups of cranberries (might use another 1/2 cup or even 1 cup more next time) and boiled them with 1/2 cup of water. Once they come to a boil and start to pop (the cranberries I used had been frozen; I thawed them at least partially first), I added just over a cup of sugar, 5 tblsp flour, and a teaspoon of salt. Mix and cook over low heat till nice and thick. Let it cool a bit and then fill the pie. Bake for 30-40 minutes, till crust is golden brown.

It's delicious! Serve with vanilla ice cream if you like.

One benefit of cooking the filling is that you can adjust the sugar to your own taste. I personally like the tartness of the cranberries and don't want to make it too sweet. For many, though, more than 1 cup of sugar will be necessary.