Cranberry Lime Pie

The spirit of a Key lime pie in the guise of a luscious cranberry curd. The contrast between the snappy press-in crust and the tart filling in this recipe is pure genius.

Crust:
4 oz gingersnap cookies (about 16 if using Nabisco)
1 cup pecans
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. light brown sugar

Filling and Assembly:
1 (12 oz) pkg fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries, plus 4 oz (about 1¼ cups) for serving
2½ cups granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. lemon zest, finely grated
2 tsp. lime zest, finely grated, divided
½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
pinch kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

To Serve:
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Make the Crust:
Pulse cookies in a food processor until very finely ground (you should have about 1 cup). Add pecans; pulse until finely ground. Add butter and brown sugar; pulse to combine. Transfer to a deep 9" pie dish. Using a measuring cup, press firmly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake until firm and slightly darkened in colour, 10-15 minutes. If crust slides down sides, gently press back up. Let cool.

Make Ahead: Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Filling and Assembly:
Bring 12 oz cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12-15 minutes. Let cool. Purée in a blender until very smooth.

Cook purée, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, lime juice, salt, ½ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring with a rubber spatula and scraping down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, 8-10 minutes. Let cool until just warm.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat curd, adding butter a piece at a time and incorporating after each addition, until curd looks lighter in colour and texture, about 5 minutes. Scrape into crust and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add remaining 4 oz cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20-30 minutes.

Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar. Top pie with cranberries; serve with whipped cream.

Make Ahead: Pie (without topping) can be made 2 days ahead. Cover once filling is firm and keep chilled. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Makes 8 servings.