Johnna's Best Cranberry Dream Pie

Ingredients

Crust:

1/2 cup almonds or hazelnuts

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

pinch sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons sunflower oil or butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup water

Filling:

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1 quart sweet apple cider

1 bar agar agar

1/4 cup maple syrup

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Meringue:

4 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Grind the nuts in a food processor; mix with oats, flour, salt and cinnamon.

Cut the butter into the nut mix; add the maple syrup and water until dough forms a clump.

Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the greased pie plate and bake for 20-15 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool.

Wash and pick over cranberries. Combine 3 cups of the cider with cranberries in a 2-quart saucepan. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer until cranberries are softened, about 10-15 minutes. Strain, pressing cranberries to extract juice. Measure the liquid, adding addition cider to make 3 1/2 cups. Return juice to saucepan.

Soften the agar agar under running water and break it into the juice. Simmer until agar agar dissolves, 4-5 minutes.

Dissolve arrowroot in 1/2 cup of the cider. Add it and maple syrup to the juice; cook over high heat until mixture becomes clear and thickens, 4-5 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat and add lemon zest and juice. Pour mixture into pie crust and cool in refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

One hour before serving, make the meringue. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and beat the egg whites with salt until stiff. Add maple syrup and vanilla. Pile on top of chilled pie and bake for 10-15 minutes or until peaks of meringue are brown. Serve chilled or at room temperature