This Cranberry Meringue Pie makes for a festive dessert to add to your Holiday table. It is a fun and colorful way to add cranberries to your plate this season.
This is a Kidney friendly dish that is lower in both potassium and phosphorous. If you know anyone with Kidney disease that will be joining your Holiday party keep in mind that they have to watch these nutrients in their diet. Most are advised to skip out on the pumpkin pie which is very high in potassium. Holiday dinners can be very stressful for anyone having to follow such diet restrictions. So if you know one of your guests has kidney disease serve this dish to help ease their worries when it comes to choosing what they can eat at your Holiday meal.
This recipe is lower in saturated fats due to a healthier crust. Crusts usually have a high amount of butter in them which gives it a flaky buttery texture. Here I used nut oil, but canola oil will work as well in replace of the butter. Nut oils and canola oil are a rich source of the healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats. This crust is nutty and flaky so I do not miss the butter in this recipe.
I start the crust first as it needs to be refrigerated for at least 20 minutes. Sometimes I even make this crust the night before to refrigerate over night. You simply turn out the dough in the pie pan and shape with your fingers. Make sure to prick with a fork to prevent bubbling.
Cranberries are a beautiful fruit, providing a brilliant and festive red color to any dish. The red pigments in cranberries are anthocyanins which is a powerful antioxidant. Cranberries also contain the phytochemical, procyanidins, which have been studied for their possible effect on preventing bacteria from forming in the urinary tract and causing an infection.
After cooking the cranberries, pressing them through a fine mesh strainer helps to extract the juices and leave out the skins, making for a smooth and creamy filling.
The meringue topping can be formed any way that you would like but my favorite design is pictured above. Simply take a spoon and pull upward, making a check mark motion with your hand. This always makes for a stunning presentation as the edges turn golden brown.
So wow your guests with this beautiful, festive and delicious cranberry meringue pie this season and I am sure you will have a new favorite dessert!
Cranberry Meringue Pie
Author: Brittany Sparks
Serves 10
Kidney Friendly
Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 30 min
Total Time 45 min
*Timing Alert* This pie needs to be refrigerated at least 8 hours before slicing.
Ingredients
Crust
¼ Cup Walnut or Canola Oil
1 Cup White Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Ice Water
Filling
12 oz Bag of Fresh Cranberries
Juice of 2 Lemons (~6 Tbsp)
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Water
3 Egg Yolks
2 Tbsp Tapioca Starch or Cornstarch
Topping
5 Egg Whites
½ Tsp Cream of Tartar
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Sugar
Directions
To make the crust, place the flour and sugar in a food processor and process until combined. Slowly pour in the oil continuing to blend. Add the ice water and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Pour out mixture onto a clean surface and shape into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once the crust has been refrigerated remove from plastic wrap and with your hand press into a 9 inch pie pan. Work it up the sides of the pan with your fingers. Pierce the bottom several times with a fork; this will help to prevent the crust from bubbling. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make the filling, place the cranberries, water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium low. Stir occasionally for about 6 minutes. The cranberries will start to pop open. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over a fine strainer over a large bowl. Press the mixture down with a spatula to press all the juices out of the cranberries.
Add the lemon juice, tapioca starch and egg yolks to the strained cranberry mixture. Whisk together until combined and no lumps remain from the starch.
Place the mixture back in the saucepan and cook for an additional 2 minutes over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add the egg whites and with a hand mixer, mix for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add in the cream of tartar, vanilla extract and 1 tsp of sugar. Blend then add the other 2 tsp of sugar and blend once more.
Pour the cranberry mixture into the pie pan. Add the meringue topping on top of the pie. With the spatula gently spread over the cranberry topping until you can no longer see the filling.
To shape the meringue: Working with a spoon you want to start at the edge near the crust and pull the spoon towards the center of the pie (about 2 inches in) and up (like a check mark motion, see picture above). Continue this all the way around the pie.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
Remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool to room temperature. It is best if refrigerated at least 8 hours or overnight to allow the filling to set. Make sure to store the pie in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Slice:
Calories 239, Total Fat 6.9 g, Saturated Fat 2.1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.9 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3.7 g, Sodium 31 mg, Total Carbohydrate 40 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Protein 4.1 g, Potassium 118 mg, Phosphorous 42 mg