Whenever I see the word 'mock' in the title of a recipe, I start to feel uneasy.  I am never quite sure of what substitution is going to be made or why.  My mother used to make a mock crushed pineapple from grated zuchinni or sweet pickles from watermelon rind.  I'll admit that both things actually tasted good and were respectable knock-offs.  In these instances, the mock version allowed us to use either excess produce or parts of produce that would otherwise go to waste.

The 'mock' in this recipe is cranberries, a tart little berry that is found in great abundance around the Winter holidays in America.  Because of their popularity, you can often buy them cheaply.  I sometimes have a hard time using them beyond a traditional cranberry sauce.  Many people use them in other baked goods but I haven't seen them used in a pie before.  I assume their tartness is akin to a sour cherry and given their size/color, the cranberries are a good stand-in for cherries.

Try this pie this Thanksgiving to surprise your family and see if they know it's not actually cherries!

Mock Cherry Pie
1 1/2 cups cranberries cut in half
1 cup seeded raisins
1 scant cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 pieces of pie pastry

Combine the cranberries, raisins, sugar, water, and flour in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Place 1 piece of pie pastry in a pie pan. Add pie filling then top with second crust.  Crimp the edges of the pie and trim any excess pastry dough.  Cut two 2" vents in the top of the pie crust.

Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until the pie filling begins to bubble through the vents.  Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting.

This might be good with a bit of lemon zest added to the pie pilling while cooking, just for an added bit of tang.