Celebrate Wisconsin’s Cranberry Heritage with This Crustless Cranberry Pie Recipe

Reader Contribution by Lisa Kivirist and Inn Serendipity
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Think beyond Thanksgiving cranberry sauce when it comes to this ruby red powerhouse fruit. Packed with nutrients, cranberries add color and flavor zing to both savory and sweet dishes such as this super easy Crustless Cranberry Pie recipe from Great Expectations, a cozy local eatery in central Wisconsin that celebrates these berries on their menu during the fall cranberry harvest and throughout the year.

“One of the biggest comments I hear from folks is ‘I don’t like cranberries,’ but we’re on a mission to change that here,” laughs Amy Scheide co-owner of Great Expectations with her husband, Ryan. “The vast majority of cranberries grown around here go into processed foods like sauce and juice and people unfortunately don’t know what a real, fresh cranberry even tastes like.”

Scheide creatively experiments with cranberries throughout the menu, from a cranberry vinaigrette salad dressing to adding cranberries to everything from chicken salad to bread pudding. With a strong commitment to supporting area farms and food artisans, Great Expectations sources seasonal ingredients far beyond cranberries. There are cocktails made with Door County Tart Cherry Shrub by Siren Shrub and their Unforgettable Grilled Cheese featuring grilled, locally-raised butternut squash and a cranberry-pepper jam and, of course, Wisconsin cheddar. Stay tuned for that unique combination recipe from Great Expectations in a future post.

“History and research have proven the health benefits of cranberries,” shares Fawn Gottschalk, a fifth-generation family farmer at Gottschalk Cranberry Marsh outside Wisconsin Rapids, who joined photographer John Ivanko and I for lunch at Great Expectations after a tour of her farm. “From promoting urinary tract to cardiovascular health, it’s a super fruit high in fiber, vitamin C and the highest of all fruits in antioxidants.” Interestingly, cranberries are one of only three fruits indigenous to the United States, the others being blueberries and concord grapes.

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