The quintessential Thanksgiving pie

Some years go, our family was introduced to this fabulous pie which looks and tastes like the essence of harvest time.  With apples, mincemeat, and fresh cranberries, it's the perfect pie for Thanksgiving, not to mention it's a tradition with some families and a bit of a vintage recipe to boot.  Originally it was a recipe clipped from an older Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

I shared this before, back in 2007, but I'm sure some of my current readers haven't seen it.  So here it is:

MINCE APPLE CRANBERRY PIE

Pastry for 9-inch single crust pie
1/4 cup flour, divided use
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. butter
3 medium-tart apples, peeled, cored, cut in wedges
Mincemeat-Cranberry Filling:
1 9-ounce box condensed mincemeat
1 cup water
3 Tblsp. sugar
1 cup cranberries

Heat oven to 425º. Prepare 9-inch pie shell with high fluted edge. Sprinkle 2 Tblsp. flour over the crust. Combine remaining flour with sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter; set aside.

For filling, crumble mincemeat into small saucepan. Add water and sugar; stir to combine. Bring to boiling; boil 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; remove from heat. Spread filling in bottom of pie shell. Arrange apple wedges in concentric circles over filling. Sprinkle reserved flour-sugar mixture over apples. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe is from my friend Jean and is just excellent. It just captures the essence of what a Thanksgiving pie should taste like.  It's a bit of a process to put together, but the work is simple.

Every year after Christmas (if not after Thanksgiving) those little boxes of condensed mincemeat end up in the clearance bin at our local grocery store.  I usually pick up a few when I see them.