This cherry pie (okay, maybe it's more of a cherry galette, but whatever) has gotten me over a significant hump in my culinary life.
Until today I have had a deep insecurity about pie crust. In fact, it was bigger than pie crust: It was about the rolling pin. Every time I would apply a rolling pin to dough, it seemed, bad things happened. Pizza that looked like the state of Michigan made of Swiss cheese. Bits of sticky cookie dough glued to the counter. Nothing ever thin enough, nothing ever turning out anywhere near the way it looked in the pictures. Tough tarts. Floury cookies. Bad things.
But today we took the kids to Leona Valley to pick cherries - and we came home with more than 30 pounds. Pie was inevitable. I'll share a secret: I went to a local gourmet market this afternoon, hoping to find ready-made pie crust in the store's freezer that I might have been able to pass off as my own. They had none. I toyed with the idea of cherry cobbler - that was last year's cop-out when pie crust seemed insurmountable - but ultimately decided it was time to face the music.
Here's what I learned: With sheer determination and two sticks of butter, anything is possible. Meet our new Father's Day tradition.
Note: I made this galette-style so that I could actually make two, to use up more of the 30 pounds of cherries now sitting on my kitchen counter. The recipe below makes one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies or galettes. I used raw cane sugar because I love the way its dusky undertones work with the cherries, but regular granulated sugar would work fine too.
Cherry pie (or cherry galette) for Father's Day
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup plus 4 Tbsp raw cane sugar
- 2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, frozen, cut into small cubes
- ice water
- 8 cups sweet cherries, pitted (my favorite tool for this: Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp milk
First, take a deep breath and make the crust: Place the flour, salt, and 2 Tbsp sugar in the food processor and give it a spin to combine. Open the processor and sprinkle the bits of frozen butter over the flour mixture. Pulse five or six times, or until the whole thing inside looks like wet sand.
Now dribble over about 1/4 cup of ice water and pulse again; check the consistency. Does it hold together when you pinch some between your fingers? If not, add small amounts of ice water, pulse, and repeat. When it's ready, it will not look wet at all - you'll only know it's done by the fact that it holds together when you pinch it. Turn the dough out onto the counter, press it into two disks, wrap the disks in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least an hour.
Put the pitted cherries in a mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of the raw sugar and the cornstarch, and mix thoroughly. Let the cherries sit in the sugar-cornstarch mixture at room temperature while the dough is chilling. This will help the cherry juice flow once you get the pie in the oven. Go do something else for the balance of the hour.
When it's time, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll out one of the dough disks to a rough circle. It's okay if it's not perfect - mine certainly weren't. Transfer the circle of dough to a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Heap half the cherry mixture into the center of the dough, then fold the edges of the circle up and part of the way onto the filling, leaving some of the cherries showing in the middle. Repeat with the other disk of dough and the rest of the cherries.
Combine the egg and the milk and brush the edges of the pies with this mixture, using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar over the edges of the pies. Bake about 40 minutes or until the pies are golden brown on the edges and the cherries in the middle are shriveled and juicy. Let cool at least 1/2 hour before slicing.
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FAQs
When making something like an apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, where the filling needs to be cooked in the crust, you don't need to blind bake. Just be sure you bake it long enough for the bottom to be fully baked or else it can be soggy.
What is the secret to a great pie crust? ›
Cold butter is the key to flaky crusts. Do not skip this step. You must put your butter in the freezer to get it nice and cold. Many people do not like working with frozen butter, but it makes all the difference in the world when you create your pie dough.
How do you keep cherry pies from falling apart? ›
To slow down the shrinkage or falling of the filling, let the pie cool down in the oven gradually. When the pie crust is completely cooked and golden, turn off the oven but leave the pie in. Let it sit in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes in an off-oven.
How long does cherry pie last in the fridge? ›
Cover unused BAKED pie portions with foil wrap and store for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days when refrigerated.
How do you keep the bottom crust of a cherry pie from getting soggy? ›
Crust dust is a 1:1 mixture of flour and granulated sugar. When baking a pie, especially a fruit pie, a couple of teaspoons of crust dust sprinkled into the bottom of the crust will help prevent the crust from becoming saturated with juicy filling as it bakes.
How long do you Prebake bottom pie crust? ›
Line the crust with foil, parchment, or a paper coffee filter. Fill it about two-thirds full with dried beans, uncooked rice (or other uncooked grain berries), pie weights, or granulated sugar. Bake the crust in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes, set on a baking stone or steel if you have one.
How do you keep the bottom of a pie crust crispy? ›
Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven.
What does adding vinegar to your pie crust do? ›
Apple cider vinegar is added to relax the gluten proteins in your dough and tenderize it. You can also substitute it with an equal amount of white vinegar. Cold Water: For pie crusts that are flaky, cold water is a must.
Why didn't my cherry pie set? ›
My best guess is you didn't use enough thickener( flour or cornstarch) in the filling, or you didnt cook long enough, or you cut it before cooling sufficiently.
Should cherry pie filling be refrigerated? ›
Store cherry pie filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.
Can you leave a fresh baked cherry pie out overnight? ›
Pies that do not contain dairy products, such as fruit pies can be stored, loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days. Additionally, to keep the fruit pies a few extra days, they can be stored in the refrigerator.
Can I eat a week old pie? ›
McDowell says that fruit and custard pies are best eaten within the first 24 hours after baking, but can be stored at room temperature for up to two days—any longer than that, and the crust will start to get soggy.
Does canned cherry pie filling go bad? ›
When does cherry pie filling expire? Canned cherry pie filling can last 12-18 months past the printed date unopened, but once opened, it should be refrigerated and consumed within 2 weeks for best flavor. However, homemade cherry pie filling should be eaten within one week when refrigerated.
How do you get a crispy crust on the bottom of a pie? ›
Getting a brown, flaky/crispy bottom crust on your pie is all about quick and effective heat transfer. That's why aluminum or aluminum/steel pans — rather than glass or stoneware — are your best choice for baking pie. Metal, especially aluminum, transfers heat quickly and efficiently from oven to pie crust.
How do you cook the bottom pastry for a pie? ›
They recommend lining the pan with a defrosted, lightly rolled sheet of puff pastry and pricking it with a fork before blind baking covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes at 400F (~200C). Don't use pie weights, that will interfere with the 'puff'.
Should pie be baked on the bottom? ›
A pie's place in the oven is on the bottom rack. The worst mistake you can make with your pie is under-baking the bottom crust—it makes for a soggy, doughy mess.
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