Sour cherries are tart, fruity and refreshing. Baked into a pie, they are a delightful filling that will impress the taste buds. The sourness of the cherries and the sweetness added to the filling make for a well balanced and delicious flavour profile. The addition of the lemon juice adds another strong flavour to the pie, making it dynamic in flavour, and delicious to eat, also adding more tartness and freshness to the pie. Try making this pie yourself by following this quick dessert recipe and enjoy a decadent pie that you’re sure to love.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 285 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut in cubes
- ½ cup ice water
- Egg wash (one egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
For the cherry pie filling:
- 1 kg sour cherries, pitted
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 25 g cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
- 12 g granulated sugar
Directions:
- Add the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well.
- Then add the cold butter and beat with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat until pea size pieces form.
- Now slowly add the cold water, one spoon at a time. Pulse the mixture, then add more water and pulse again. Continue this process until it clumps together.
- Now flour a work surface and place the dough there. Shape and ball the dough together using floured hands.
- Divide the dough ball into two and flatten each half into a disc. Cover them with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for an hour.
- In the meantime, make the cherry pie filling. In a pan over medium heat, add the pitted cherries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook until the cherries release their juices.
- In a small bowl, add the cornstarch and 2 spoons of water. Now add this cornstarch into the cooking cherries.
- Keep cooking till the filling thickens. Then remove from heat and mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside to let the filling cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 177C.
- Prepare a floured work surface and bring out one of the chilled discs. Roll it until it's a nice big circle. Then gently place it in a pie pan, pressing the bottom and the sides.
- Now pour the cooled filling into the crust and spread it evenly with a spatula.
- Then roll out the second disc in the same way and cut it into strips. Arrange the strips on top of the filling, weaving them into each other to form a lattice. Trim the excess and crimp the edges of the crust.
- Brush the crust with the egg wash and then sprinkle sugar on top.
- Bake for about 15 minutes. Then lower the temperature and continue baking for about 50 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know it's done when the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Once done, let the pie cool at room temperature.
- Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, or as is.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- Store any leftover pie in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Before using, reheat the pie. If it's at room temperature, reheat at 250F until it's warm, about 15 minutes for slices and half an hour for the whole pie. If the pie is cold, reheat at 350F until warm, about 20 minutes.
- You can blind bake the crust first if you want it to be nice and firm. Since it has a fruit filling, the moisture can otherwise seep into the crust and make it a bit soggy. Blind baking solves that.
- When preparing the dough for the pie crust, use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt. If you don't have it, you can use salted butter too, but then skip the pinch of salt. But it's better to use unsalted butter and add salt separately because it really enhances the flavours and makes everything stand out more.