Cherry Pie
A few weeks ago, Boyfriend’s parents treated us to a staycation in Kerry. The trip promised to be relaxing retreat, where we’d spend some QT with Boyfriend’s family. It was a no-brainer. We booked the time off work, packed for all weather types, planned our journey, and I compiled a list of what I’d bake. Eventually, I settled on: a pie, a tart, bars of some sort, and sausage rolls for good measure. I immediately knew it had to be a cherry pie, even though I’d never made a cherry pie before in my lifetime.
The cherry pie decision was so final that not even the ludicrous price of cherries could deter me. When I made this, we were knee-deep in those irritating few weeks of the season when cherries cost more than the rest of your shopping put together. Alas, I refused any alternatives; I didn’t want to make anything else. This opinion wasn’t understood by the cashier who told me the prices would be dropping the next week, and why didn’t I wait to buy them then? I kindly told him to butt out. However, thankfully for you, cherry season is finally in full swing. You won’t have to have any heart-to-heart moments with your cashier.
making this ahead of time?
Now, because I had also committed to baking several other things, I had to spread the pie baking process out over three days. I did a lot of small steps over the course of two days, and on the third day I finally baked it. Side note: the extra resting & chilling makes for an extra flakey crust! This has officially overtaken my Peach Pie in the race to have the Flakiest Pie Crust Ever. But seriously, how easy is that? A three day process that works around your schedule! Day 1: make the dough & leave in the fridge overnight. Day 2: fit dough into pie dish & leave in the fridge overnight. Also, pit the cherries, cover with cling film, and leave in the fridge overnight. Day 3: assemble the pie & bake until bubbling & brown in all the right places.
As for taste, it is a long summer evening in a pie. A super flaky crust – thanks to my three day assembly plan – and & filling bursting with deliciously juicy cherries. Not too sweet, but not too tart either.
Added bonus: Boyfriend’s family loved it.
Happy baking!
Cherry Pie
INGREDIENTS
for the dough
- 340 g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 255 g unsalted butter, very cold & cut into small cubes
- 4-6 tbsp ice water
for the filling
- 900 g pitted cherries
- 5 tbsp cornflour
- 130 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
to finish
- 1 egg, beaten
- demerara sugar, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
- First, make the pie dough. Whisk together the flour & salt in a large bowl. Working quickly, add the butter to the flour & toss. Use your fingers to press each cube of butter into a flat sheet. Keep tossing the butter to make sure each piece is covered in flour. If at any time the butter seems warm, refrigerate the bowl briefly. Sprinkle about 4 tablespoons of ice water into the bowl & use a gentle hand to stir together until just combined. You’ve added enough water to the mixture if you can pick up a handful of the dough & easily squeeze it together without it falling apart, but without it being all sticky. Split the dough into two disks, each wrapped in cling film & leave to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using. (Remember, we need to keep the dough extra chilled if we want it to be extra flaky.)
- Once the dough has chilled, remove one of the disks from the fridge & on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a roughly 12-inch circle that is about ¼-inch thick. Carefully press the dough into your pie dish/tart tin & store in the fridge while you prepared the filling. (Think of the flakes.) (FYI: I fit one of the disks into my pie dish & left it to chill in the fridge overnight, ensuring that it was stone cold. I rolled the second disk into a circle & left on a sheet pan for perhaps an hour before filling & assembling my pie.)
- Remove the second disk from the fridge & roll out into a circle roughly 12-inches. Place on a sheet pan & leave to chill in the fridge.
- Now, the filling. In a large bowl, gently stir together the cherries, granulated sugar, cornflour, almond extract & lemon juice.
- Fill the prepared pie shell with the filling & cover with the second prepared crust (or make into a lattice topping – I watched a tutorial on YouTube). Crimp the edges together, and leave to chill in the fridge until ready to bake (I left mine in the fridge pre-made and unbaked for 8 hours while I was at work).
- Preheat the oven to 200C. While the oven heats up, slide the whole pie into the freezer for at least 15-minutes, & think of it as a necessary step to pie success.
- When ready to bake, brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with some demerara sugar before baking for 40-50 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling & the crust is a deep golden brown.
- Leave the pie to cool & serve warm with some lightly whipped cream.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!