Cranberry-Pear Pie with Ginger Snap Crumb Topping

Guess where I am right now? I am sitting -probably poolside, maybe even seaside - in San Diego. Right this very minute I might be grilling Lobster tail in the backyard, sipping an ice cold Horchata or devouring a double-double, animal style, from In-n-Out (yeah be jealous....of all the weight I am gaining while I am here). To me, Christmas was not meant to be spent freezing your ass off in the snow...it is best celebrated with ocean breezes, sunshine and fish tacos (omg! fish tacos!).

That being said, its also pretty fun celebrating with some traditional Christmas goodies on the big day. Maybe some glazed ham or a cheese ball? And definitely pie. This might just be the quintessential holiday pie. It is festive and colorful with in-season juicy pears, cranberries and a struesel-like Ginger Snap crumb topping that is to die for. Its the type of thing that is just asking to be enjoyed with a glass of fresh egg nog while watching The Muppets Christmas Carol.

This isn't complicated either. If you are doing some entertaining, you can easily make this pie the day before, store in the fridge, and just let it sit at room temp for a few hours before serving. It was delightful with a dollop of whipped cream and I am just guessing - going out on a limb here - that this would be simply devilish with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.


Enjoy and Happy Holidays everyone!!



Cranberry-Pear Pie with Ginger Snap Crumb Topping
recipe from Food & Wine

prepared Pie Dough
Egg Wash: 1 egg and 1 Tbsp milk, beaten

Topping:
1 cup Flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
12 gingersnap cookies*, crushed
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick (113 grams) butter, melted and cooled

*I used the Scandinavian "Pepparkakor" cookies, which you can buy at Ikea or in the US you can also find them at Cost Plus World Market or similar stores. I also used more like 15 or 16 cookies.

Filling:
2 pounds (4 or 5) ripe Pears, peeled, cored, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fine lemon zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch round and fit it into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the overhang to 1 inch, fold it under and crimp decoratively. Brush the rim with the egg wash and refrigerate the pieshell until chilled.

MAKE THE TOPPING: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.

MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 350° F (176 C). In a large bowl, toss the pears with the cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, toss the sugar with the cornstarch, then stir the sugar into the fruit.

Pour the fruit into the chilled pie shell (I found I had just a bit more than would fit). Pour the gingersnap crumbs onto the pie, carefully spreading them to the edge to cover the filling completely. Set the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet (in case stuff bubbles over). Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling; cover the pie loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool before slicing.

Cherry Drop Cookies

If there is one thing that means Christmas to me, it is these cookies. My mom has been making them for us and all our neighbors for as long as I can remember. Soft almond cookies with a little candied cherry right in the center - they are colorful, just slightly sweet and definitely addicting.

Where this recipe came from is somewhat of a mystery. There is a torn and tattered cookbook sitting on the back of my mom's shelf, the pages stained and dirty and falling out. Deep in the center of this old falling apart book is a recipe titled Cherry Drop Cookies by Nancy Weir. Who is Nancy? Where did this book come from? No one knows or remembers.

An important quality in Christmas Cookies is the ability to make them in bulk and make them quickly. These are a snap - and seeing as we have never made less than a triple batch of these cookies they are easy to make in bulk as well!


Cherry Drop Cookies
1 cup Margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Candied red and green (we sometimes only do red) cherries, cut in half

In a large mixing bowl cream margarine and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and almond extract - mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend thoroughly.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased or lined cookie sheets. Top each cookie with a cherry half. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

While I am not much of a baker, I do love baking cookies. At this time of year, I just can't help myself either - I find myself wanting to bake dozens and dozens of cookies and give them to everyone I know. My first holiday season after I got married, I made these cookies on a whim and wouldn't you know it? They have totally become our holiday tradition.

They have also become some of my all-time favorite cookies. First of all, they have a rich dark chocolate flavor which, as an unabashed chocoholic, is always going to appeal to me. Second of all, they have the awesome combination of texture that I love - just a tad crisp on the outside from the crunchy sugar but with a warm soft center. But most importantly - these cookies are insanely easy to throw together and look adorable. You can double, triple, even quadruple the recipe with no problem at all. You can make the dough ahead and freeze it. The finished cookies keep well, both fresh and frozen. They are the perfect candidate for a holiday cookie.

You can also make them sandwich cookies by spreading some of your favorite frosting in between two cookies -then roll the edges in crushed up candy canes (one of my personal favorite things to do). You could also roll the cookies in colorful sprinkles instead of granulated sugar for some added festiveness (not something I have tried, but have thought about doing). Make them with some super high quality cocoa and you won't want to do anything extra with them - just enjoy the flavor of the sweet rich chocolate!

Cocoa Crinkle Cookies
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115 grams) butter
1 1/4 cup sugar, plus another 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium to large saucepan over medium low heat and cool slightly. Add the 1 1/4 cup sugar and stir until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

Stir the soft butter mixture into the flour/cocoa mixture until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm - around two hours (you could also make this dough ahead of time and freeze. Let defrost in the fridge over night before using).
Line cookie sheets with parchment. Shape dough into even sized balls (I do around 1 and half inch wide). Place the 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Roll dough balls in the sugar then place on the cookie sheets around an inch and half apart. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F (176 C). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.