Housed in a flaky, all-butter pie crust is a two berry curd: tart cranberry and sweet blueberry. The curd is silky and lush and atop it sits a naturally fuchsia colored meringue made from pure cranberry juice and blueberry powder.
Housed in a flaky, all-butter pie crust is a two berry curd: tart cranberry and sweet blueberry. The curd is silky and lush and atop it sits a naturally fuchsia colored meringue made from pure cranberry juice and blueberry powder. It’s a berry lover’s dream pie, perfect for the holidays.
Cranberry juice: This one is important, make sure that the cranberry juice is 100% cranberries juice. There should be no added water or sugar. It will be concentrated and very tart. No substitutes!
Fresh Cranberries: You may use frozen as well.
Blueberries: Fresh or frozen will do but aim for juicy ones (avoid the wild blueberries that are small and have little juice).
Lime Juice: I prefer lime with these two but you can also use lemon juice. Either should be freshly squeezed. Don’t use orange juice or the curd will be very sweet.
Blueberry powder: You’ll make this by grinding freeze dried berries into a powder and then sieving the mixture to remove the larger bits. You’ll want to do at least half a cup of berries to make sure you get enough powder.
There’s a few steps to this but basically it comes down to cooking the berries until they burst, straining the juice out of them and cooking the sugar with the juice. Then you’ll temper in the eggs (adding the hot liquid slowly so as not to curdle the eggs) and cook until thick. The butter goes in last, and is whisked in for a silky curd.
This is an Italian meringue; for this you’ll use a hot sugar syrup which has been cooked to the ‘candy’ point and pour it onto partially whipped egg whites. You’ll use a mixer to then whip the sugar, juice and egg whites until you reach stiff peaks. While it’s mixing the blueberry powder is added.
There’s two leftover egg whites sam, what shall I do with them?
Make these double chocolate cookies!
How do I know when the curd is done cooking?
It should be quite thick, it will thicken on the bottom first so stir constantly to distribute the heat. Once it’s all thick and coats the back of a spoon it’s done.
How do I know when the pie is done cooking?
There may be a slight jiggle in the center after the 12-15 minute mark and that’s fine. If you are using a smaller pie pan (mine was 9” round) it could take a little longer. The edges should be set when you take it out of the oven.
How do I know when the meringue is done whipping?
It will start as a dark liquid and gradually lighten in color and thicken. Check it once it looks quite fluffy, test it by removing the whisk attachment and holding it upright: if the meringue doesn’t droop it’s done whipping.
How long will this pie last?
Without the meringue the curd pie can last 3-5 days. With the meringue it should probably be eaten in 48 hours as the meringue tends to weep after that.
I don’t like meringues, what else can I top this pie with?
Whipped cream would do just fine here too. Whip together 1 cup heavy cream a pinch of salt and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. You can also make this in a food processor. And if you like, add the blueberry powder to it as well, it’ll make a pretty color and give it some flavor.
Can I make JUST the blueberry cranberry curd?
Of course, just follow the steps up to the point of adding in the butter. You can transfer it to a mason jar, seal it shut and refrigerate it. It’ll keep for a week!
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This recipe looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it! Is it possible to replace the cranberry juice with lemon juice or a non-carbonated lemonade? I love lemon meringue and was wondering how go about doing it in this recipe.
Thanks 🙂
I think if I were to do a blueberry lemon meringue pie I’d use my blueberry curd as the filling and for the meringue a blueberry juice (not from fresh or frozen blueberries, the kind sold in bottles)
Is there anything else that can be done other than meringue on top? Its not that I dont want to make a meringue or anything but we arent huge dessert people [well my kiddo would disagree but] and when we made your smore pie [which was wonderful btw] we only finished at the end of the week because we lost power [and of course the meringue was a sloppy mess by then]. Is there anyway to enjoy with or without the meringue but can last a little longer than a day?
I’d skip the meringue and just add some whipped cream right before serving. It’ll be a nice balance!
wow, this is so creative and impressive, a blueberry-cranberry curd? Yes my idea of curds starts and ends with lemon, as you write, and paired with cranberry a lovely sweet-tart contrast, and love the meringue with the same flavors but using juice and powders of each, this is wonderful, thank you!
This pie is absolutely stunning, I had to try it! Followed everything exactly per the recipe and it came out perfectly! Thank you!
I made this for dessert for Christmas dinner. It was perfect for after the meal and for my family who doesn’t like things super sweet.
Made this pie for Christmas dinner.. and blew everyone’s mind. The curd is tart and the meringue tastes like a marshmallow.. and then the butter pie crust.. it’s just the best melding of flavors in your mouth. A delicious showstopper (:
Oh my this is so wonderful to hear! I know it’s a finicky one with all the different ingredients so thank you for investing in this one 😀
How much water do you add to the pie crust? I’ve tried all-butter crusts in the past and haven’t always been successful (usually the sides sink to the bottom) so I will have to try your method.
I usually add 4-5 tablespoons of ice cold water. The sides will always shrink a bit but you can stop it from shrinking too much by par-baking it well (see all my instructions in the recipe!)