Sara Foster's Cranberry Apple Pie

McIntosh or Empire apples are best for this pie.

Recipe by Sara Foster

MAKES: 1 (9-inch) pie (about 8 servings) PREP: 40 minutes CHILL: 10 minutes BAKE: 1 hour STAND: 1 hour Easy Piecrust (below) 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained 3 large apples (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced (I put more for a really tall pie) 1/4 cup apple cider (used apple-cranberry juice, because that's all I had) 2 tablespoons dark rum (omitted) 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of ground cloves 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk) Pinch of sugar (optional) Garnish: Spiced whipped cream or vanilla ice cream 1. Roll half of Easy Piecrust dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface (about a 13-inch circle). Fold in half, and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Unfold and drape over pie plate, pressing bottom and sides into pan. Roll remaining dough about same thickness and size; place on a baking sheet. Chill both piecrusts in freezer 10 minutes. 2. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine cranberries and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss to coat. Add 1 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients, and toss to coat. Pour mixture into chilled piecrust in pie plate; dot with butter. 3. Cut chilled dough on baking sheet into 3/4-inch strips. Place 5 to 7 strips over filling in one direction; add remaining strips in perpendicular direction, folding back alternating strips in a crisscross fashion. Trim strips even with edges of crust; fold edges under, and crimp. Place pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; brush pastry with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake at 375° for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown. (If top is browning too quickly, lightly shield with aluminum foil.) Let cool about 1 hour before slicing. Garnish, if desired. Easy Piecrust With minimal ingredients and fuss, you can make your own crust in less time than it takes to go buy one. MAKES: 2 (9-inch) piecrusts or 1 double-crusted pie PREP: 10 minutes 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1. Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, and cut in butter with a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until dough resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water, and stir, adding 2 to 4 more tablespoons water until dough forms a ball and leaves side of bowl. 2. Form into 2 flat, round discs (or balls), cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to use. Adapted from Cottage Living Magazine

Macaroni and Cheese

For topping (it made way too much topping- I'll half it next time)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) or 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 6 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/4 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For macaroni and sauce (made enough to fill 9x13 pan all the way to the top)
1 stick unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 pound elbow macaroni

Preparation

Make topping:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Melt butter, then stir together with panko and topping cheeses in a bowl until combined well.

Make sauce:
Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes, then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in cheeses, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Remove from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper.

Make Macaroni:
Cook macaroni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain macaroni in a colander. [I skipped adding the water.] Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce in a large bowl. Transfer to casserole dish.

Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cooks' notes:
• Topping can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

adapted from epicurious.com
Full post to come