by Paula Marcoux

Adapted from the AutomatiCook Book. You’ll find the scale of this 1927 pie quite different from today’s supersized standards: noticeably smaller and thinner. We debated whether anyone would be fooled into thinking it a cherry pie of any sort, but regardless found it delicious, with a perfect proportion of crust to filling when made in an 8-inch tin.

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ⅔ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • few drops almond extract
  • pastry for a double crust pie

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put the cranberries, raisins, ⅔ cup water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 – 8 minutes. Cranberries should have mostly exploded and the sauce thickened slightly.

Stir the cornstarch into the remaining water, and stir that slurry briskly into the cooking fruit mixture. Simmer and stir for one minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the extracts. Set aside.

Find an 8-inch pie pan and line it with pastry. Fill pie, and top with pastry, crimping the edges. Make a few cuts in the top crust to vent the filling and bake until golden brown and crispy. about 40 minutes. Icing optional.

One diminutive pie, serving 8.

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