Cranberry Gingersnap Pie

Crust:

5 oz gingerstaps

1 cup walnuts

3 TBSP brown sugar

4 TBSP butter, melted

Filling:

12 oz bag of fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

3 large eggs 2 egg yolks

pinch of salt

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temp and cut in pieces

Garnish

sugared cranberries

fresh thyme

sprigs or mint leaves

Instructions:

Set oven to 350*. Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. (a heaping cup). Add the walnuts, and sugar and process again until everything is finely ground. Add the butter and process briefly to combine. Pat the crust into a 9 inch pie pan, and up the sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Put the cranberries, 1 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they’ve popped and the mixture is quite thick. Let cool slightly and then puree until completely smooth. Whisk the puree, the eggs, yolks, salt, lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar together in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Stay by the pan the whole time and stir! Push the curd through a mesh strainer, using the back of a spoon to get it all through. Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then drop the room temperature butter in, bit by bit while you stir to melt it. Pour the curd into the pie crust and smooth out evenly. Chill the pie until it’s firm, about 2 hours or so. Decorate with sugared cranberries if you like.