Ingredients:
- Sugared Cranberries
- 1½ cups water
- 2¾ cups granulated sugar (divided)
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- Single crust pie pastry
- Filling
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup half and half or evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Whipped Crème Fraîche
- 2 (8 ounce) containers crème fraîche
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Sugared Cranberries
Stir together water and 1¾ cups of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Place over medium, and bring to a simmer, stirring often until sugar dissolves.
Continue simmering sugar syrup, without letting it boil, until it thickens slightly, 8-10 minutes.
Remove from heat, and cool until warm, about 5 minutes. (If cranberries are combined with the sugar syrup when it is too hot, they may burst from the heat.)
Combine fresh cranberries and warm sugar syrup in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover bowl, and chill 8 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet with ½ cup of the sugar. Pour chilled cranberry mixture through a wire-mesh strainer over a bowl. (Reserve cranberry syrup in bowl for another use.) Spread cranberries in a single layer on sugar on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup sugar. Gently shake baking sheet, making sure cranberries are evenly coated with sugar. Let stand, uncovered, until cranberries are dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Shake off any excess sugar on cranberries, and place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Crust
Preheat oven to 375° F. Unwrap chilled pie dough disk, and place on a lightly floured surface. Let stand at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle dough with flour, and roll into a 12 inch circle. Carefully fit dough circle into a 9 inch glass pie plate; fold edges under, and crimp. Line pastry with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Transfer crust to a wire rack; remove pie weights and parchment, and let crust cool, about 30 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 400° F.
Filling
Whisk together sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add melted butter to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until mixture is combined and resembles damp sand.
Whisk eggs in a medium bowl until well beaten. Add half and half and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Pour egg mixture over sugar-butter mixture, and whisk to combine into a smooth, thick, creamy yellow filling. Pour into prepared pie crust.
Bake at 400° F for 5 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 375° F. Bake until edges puff up and center is fairly firm, wiggling only slightly when you gently nudge pie plate, about 35 minutes.
Transfer pie to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Whipped Crème Fraîche
Beat crème fraîche with an electric mixer in a large bowl on medium-high speed until soft and lightened in texture, about 2 minutes.
Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth, fluffy, and well combined, about 2 minutes.
Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Top pie with whipped crème fraîche and sugared cranberries.