Family Cherry Cranberry Pie

Sweet cherries meet tart cranberries in this festive double-crust pie, and the combination is better than either fruit alone. The cranberry’s sharp tang cuts the cherry’s sweetness, so it tastes balanced rather than cloying.

It’s an easy one, too. Canned cherry pie filling and whole-berry cranberry sauce do most of the work, so there’s no pitting or measuring out fresh fruit.

Letting the filling stand for 15 minutes before it goes in the crust is the step worth following. That rest lets the quick-cooking tapioca hydrate so it thickens the juices into a clean, sliceable filling instead of a runny one.

A little lemon juice brightens it and cinnamon adds warmth, while dots of butter under the top crust enrich the filling as it bakes.

Cut slits in the top crust so steam escapes, and cover the edges with foil if they brown too fast. Serve it cooled, with a dollop of whipped cream.

Kitchen Tips

• Let the filling stand 15 minutes so the tapioca softens and thickens the juices properly.
• Cut steam vents in the top crust so the pie doesn’t bubble over or turn soggy.
• Shield the crust edges with foil if they brown before the filling is bubbling.

Variations

• Use blueberry or apple pie filling in place of cherry.
• Add orange zest, which loves cranberry, to the filling.
• Top with a lattice crust or a crumb topping instead of a full top crust.