A Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cookbook (1959)

About the Recipe

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the States, and one of my best friends was hosting our small chosen family. The group planning text requested a pie (but not pumpkin), so I turned to this cookbook. One look at the ingredients in this pie, and I could practically smell the spices and flavors of the season.

Not only did this pie turn out beautifully, it was like a smack in the face of holiday flavor (my friend’s words, not mine!). In my opinion the spices are… a lot. They’re a great combination, but a little heavy handed for my taste. My husband found it absolutely perfect though, so you do you. I also think a little scoop of vanilla ice-cream would have gone a long way to finish it off.

A few quick notes about this one:

• I used a shortening crust, which I find is a little easier to work for the lattice. Really any double crust that fits a 9″ pie tin will do.
• The canned, jelled cranberry is absolutely critical as it adds gelatin and helps the pie set. If you want to use home-made cranberry sauce, use some quick tapioca or gelatin sheets cooked into your sauce to help get the same affect.
• Use one naval orange for the orange zest and a mid-sized lemon for the zest and juice.
• I used half golden raisins and half dark raisins, giving the pie a little more depth of flavor overall.
• I did a quick egg wash (1 egg + a few drops of water whisked together) to give the pie some shine and definition. Not required, but it does make for a lovely table display.

Overall, this was a lovely, very grown-up pie. Perfect for the holiday and the season, and a great finish to the Thanksgiving meal.

About the book

This is a newer book to my collection and I was so excited to be able to use it. As the title implies, it’s broken out by holiday. Each section comes not only with recipes, but little tips and tricks to make your holiday a success. I have nothing more to add here, other than enjoy some of the Thanksgiving section!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t ginger
1 t cinnamon

1 1/3 cups seedless raisins
1/3 cup chopped California walnuts
1 T grated orange peel
2 t grated lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup canned jellied cranberry sauce, crushed
1 1/3 cups finely chopped apple
1 9″ double pie crust

Directions:

Combine the sugar, salt, and spices. Add raisins, nuts, peels, lemon juice, cranberry sauce, and apple; mix well. Pour into 9-inch pastry-lined pie plate; top with lattice crust. Bake in hot oven (400*F) about 35 minutes. Cut in plump wedges; serve warm.