“This is a recipe that Nick’s mom, Hettie, saw in Gourmet magazine over 35 years ago. She has been making this pie every year for Thanksgiving since Nick was born, and now he makes it for the holiday!” – Rochelle Johnson, Nick’s wife
1¾ cups + 1 Tbsp. flour
¾ cup + 1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. + ¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
3-4 Tbsp. ice water
2 cups cranberries
2/3 cup raisins
1 tsp. almond extract
Preheat oven to 450. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, blend 1¾ flour, ¾ cup of butter (cut into pieces), 1 tsp. sugar and salt for 5 seconds or until the mixture resembles meal. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add 3 or 4 Tbsp. of ice water, or enough to make a dough, and divide the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other. Dust the balls with flour and chill them, wrapped in wax paper, for 1 hour. Roll the larger ball into a 9-inch round on a floured surface, and press the round into a 9-inch pie plate.
In the food processor fitted with the steel blade, blend cranberries (rinsed and picked over) and raisins for 10 seconds, or until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Transfer the filling to the pie plate and sprinkle it with ¾ cup sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp. flour. Dot the filling with 1 Tbsp. butter and sprinkle it with almond extract.
Roll the remaining dough into an 8½-inch round on a floured surface. Brush the rim of the shell with water, and fit the dough onto the rim. Crimp the edges together with a fork and trim the excess dough. Make 3 slits in the top of the pie with a knife. Bake the pie for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 425, and bake the pie for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until it is golden. Transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes.
In addition to honing in on his awesome pie crust skills, Nick and his wife, Rochelle, own Cast Iron Group, a family of companies that include The Cookery, Ponysaurus Brewing Company and ramen shop and izakaya Dashi.
