Perfect Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

Cherry pies are tricky: if you're not fortunate to live in an area where pie cherries are grown, you're probably used to the pies made with canned cherry pie filling. The difference between those pies and a pie made with fresh cherries is, well, like the difference between canned chicken and fresh roasted chicken. Hardly the same. Check out the post about how we got fresh Pie Cherries.

If you don't have a go-to pie crust recipe, try using the boxed pie crust mix from Krusteaz. It's really very surprising how good it is. I can't stand the premade crusts in the refrigerator section in the grocery store: they almost always come out like cardboard. Another really fun and delicious option is to use a good sugar cookie dough instead of pie crust. Crispy and tasty!

Cherry Pie (Adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

For the crust:
1 uncooked bottom pie crust
1 uncooked lattice top pie crust
3 Tbsp Pearl Sugar or Large Crystal Sugar

Filling:
4-6 Cups fresh pie cherries, washed and pitted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Cup cornstarch or 1/8 Cup Tapioca Flour*
*Note - if using tapioca flour, increase the salt to 1 tsp

Mix the filling ingredients and let stand for 30 minutes. This will allow the cherries to weep and make a nice cherry syrup for the pie.

Pour the filling into the crust and weave the lattice on top.

Brush or spray the top lightly with water, and sprinkle the Large Crystal Sugar on top, making sure that as much as possible sticks to the lattice.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, then 350 for 30 minutes. If the crust is too brown 30 minutes in, cover it loosely with tin foil. If the crust isn't brown enough after an hour, turn the oven up to 425 for 10 minutes to brown the top crust. If you do this, be sure to check it every few minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.

For this one we used a mix of Montmorency and Thompcin cherries and cut down the sugar a bit as the Thompcins had a bit more natural sugar. But they gave the pie a gorgeous red syrup and a rich, lucious cherry flavor.

I love cherries and almond, but for other ideas, try substituting the almond extract with Vanilla extract + vanilla bean seeds, or Orange extract + Grated orange peel, or Orange Blossom Essence. Cherries + floral essence is crazy good but very unusual so it's not for everyone.

French or English Lemon Apple Pie

Unbaked Pies in the form of Tarts

This recipe comes via my family. There's no way to know how many generations of my relatives have enjoyed it after dinner... My mother has been making it as long as I can remember and it's absolutely delicious - especially since there are no 'traditional' spices in it. This pie is flavored with lemon and sugar only - no cinnamon or nutmeg at all. The result is a breathtakingly refreshing pie that tastes like freshly picked apples.

It's labeled either 'French' or 'English' depending on the whim of my mother. We'll call it Anglo Saxon. One tip I've learned is to have everything except the apples mixed in a large bowl - especially the lemon - and as you grate the apples, stir them quickly into the mix. The citric acid keeps them from browing as you work.

Here are the directions verbatim, as passed on from my grandmother, to my mother and then to me:

1 unbaked pie crust
3 medium sized apples
1 ½ Tbl butter
½ Cup Sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and lemon, then the apples grated fine. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Absolutely lovely with vanilla-rose icecream.