Cranberry Merlot Pie | Nik Snacks
Have you heard that expression?
I'm not sure if the idiom is supposed to mean it's easy as eating pie or easy to make pie.
I've got both statements covered with this recipe for Cranberry Merlot Pie.
I've been combining wine and berries most of 2020 with my Sangria Saturday videos. I think it's high time that I start baking with berries, too.
This pie is as easy as can be with dried cranberries plumped up with juicy, full-bodied Merlot wine, accented with cherry pie filling, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a dash of lemon zest. The pie can be left plain, dusted with powdered sugar or decorated with whipped cream. The flavor reminds me of a semi-sweet mulled wine. The whipped cream lattice reminds me of pies I used to see at a pastry shop when I was a girl.
This time around, I'm using the new Wewalka pie crust which bakes up buttery, flaky and is found in your local grocer's refrigerated case. Wewalka does all of the work. All you have to do is roll and bake. The crust comes on a sheet of parchment paper, so you don't even have to touch the dough, except to crimp the edges of your pie.
Wewalka Pie Crust is 25% thicker than other crusts and fits perfectly in a 9” pie. Just unroll, fill and bake. There is no waste when making single crust pies like this one.
I got the idea to make this pie from my friend and colleague Irvin, of Eat The Love. As I was doing research for this post, I came across his circa 2011 recipe. I was reminded that this post was the very first recipe that led me to follow him in the first place. He's inspiring in other ways, too (he's a cookbook author as well as an amazing human being)
Enough talk. Go ahead and try the recipe for this sweet, boozy pie!
Cranberry Merlot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 (750 ml) bottle of Merlot or other dry red wine
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp orange or lemon zest
- 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
- 1 package Wewalka refrigerated rolled pie crust
- Whipped Cream, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Move oven rack to middle position.
- Bring wine and cranberries to a boil in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir in cinnamon and brown sugar; return to simmer for 5 additional minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract, orange zest. Set aside to cool completely. Fold in cherry pie filling.
- Fit one pie crust into 9-inch pie plate. Flute edges. Dock bottom of the crust with a fork or a docking tool. Blind bake for for 5 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF, scrape cranberry filling into prepared crust and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbling. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Garnish with whipped cream. Serve.
Calories
492.48Fat (grams)
6.17Sat. Fat (grams)
1.94Carbs (grams)
91.58Fiber (grams)
3.66Net carbs
87.92Sugar (grams)
52.94Protein (grams)
1.77Sodium (milligrams)
116.70Cholesterol (grams)
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About the author
Nikki Miller-Ka
Ms. Miller-Ka is a classically trained chef with a BA in English from East Carolina University and a Culinary Arts Associate Degree from Le Cordon Bleu-Miami.
Formerly, she’s worked as a researcher, an editorial assistant, reporter and guest blogger for various publications and outlets in the Southeast. She has also worked as a catering chef, a pastry chef, a butcher, a baker, and a biscuit-maker. Presently, she is a food editor, freelance food writer, and a tour guide for Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours.
Pecan!!! Maybe apple... or maybe even a chicken pot pie!
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