I love summer pies. From early summer berries to juicy stone fruit, there are so many options. I was contemplating what to make for a Fourth of July barbeque and realized I had never made a cherry pie. It sounded like a fun and festive challenge.
What I love about cherry pie is that the cherries hold their shape nicely throughout the cooking process. This pie won’t look like a mushy mess when you cut into it. The cherries cook through and release their juices without falling apart, making it a very attractive slice. Since cherries are a relatively juicy fruit, this double bake method works well for the crust.
A cherry pitter is a great tool to have, but it won’t save you the mess of cherry juice. Pitting them by hand works just fine, especially if you’re lucky enough to have a volunteer who will split the task with you (thanks Tom!).
This is a great base recipe for you to play around with. Consider adding in another flavor you love, such as ginger, kirsh, almond extract, lemon zest, etc. I went with a stars theme for the Fourth of July, but you can do a full top crust, lattice crust, or use any cookie cutter to cut out shapes and decorate the pie anyway you like.
Bon appétit!
Sweet Cherry Pie
Yields one 9-inch pie
Pie Ingredients
1 double crust pie dough separated into two disks, recipe here
5 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted (about 2 ½ – 3 pounds unpitted)
4 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten with a dash of salt
Sugar in the raw (or regular refined sugar), for sprinkling
To pre-bake the crust
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out one disk of pie dough (1/2 the recipe) and pre-bake with pie weights, as directed here. Set aside to cool. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.
To make the pie
Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt and lemon juice gently in a large bowl, set aside.
Once the pie crust is out of the oven, remove the pie weights and spoon in the cherry filling. Dot the top of the filling with small pieces of cold butter. Roll out the remaining disk of dough (or cut into shapes and lattice crust) and place over the filling, crimping the edges as desired. Make sure to vent the top crust with a couple of slits or openings. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
I would recommend covering the crust of the pie with foil, like this, to prevent it from burning while cooking. You can choose to add the foil now, or keep an eye on the color of the crust and add the foil once its reach a desired golden brown color. I prefer the latter.
Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 – 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and you can see the filling bubble up. Remove the pie and cool completely on a rack.
Very cleverly done Mar……looks delicious!