Cherry Pie

When I was in highschool I used to attend a church retreat that had a formal evening dinner. Every year they served a full turkey dinner with all the fixings, including pie for dessert. My friend’s mother who I affectionately referred to as “Mom Gammon”, made the most extraordinary cherry pie. It was the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a crisp but flaky crust. I would sneak in the back every time and hide away a piece to ensure I did not miss out.

While this is not her recipe (I’m pretty sure it’s a secret!), when I came across a recipe for cherry pie in Stella Park’s Bravetart cookbook, I knew it would rival the best. I was not disappointed.

In my opinion, a perfect cherry pie should contain sour cherries. They lend a delicious tartness and ensure that the result is not too sweet. However, unless you get them from the side of the road in the county, they can be hard to come by. If you are substituting regular cherries, cut the sugar to 3/4 cup and add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice.

You can absolutely use frozen cherries. Just ensure that they are completely defrosted and keep any juices that accumulate. Stella Parks calls for tapioca flour which I could not find. I substituted the same amount of quick cooking tapioca without any trouble. Feel free to use your favourite pastry crust and dress it how you like, but in my opinion an all-butter crust is mandatory!

Cherry Pie

Loosely Adapted, Stella Parks Bravetart

1 recipe all-butter pie crust
7 cups whole, pitted sour cherries
2 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 ts kosher salt
1/2 cup quick cooking tapioca
1 large egg
1 Tbsp heavy cream

Remove one 1/2 of the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Roll out 1/2 of the dough into a 13″ round, and transfer to a 9″ glass pie plate. Trim the edges to a 1″ overhang, and fold the dough over to create an edge. Refrigerate the dough for while you prepare the filling. Remove the remaining 1/2 of the dough from the fridge.

Combine the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and tapioca in a large bowl. Add to the prepared pie shell and refrigerate while you roll out the remaining dough.

Roll out the remaining dough and top the pie. [Alternatively see how to make a double lattice design below].

Combine the egg and cream. Brush on top of the pie. Bake on top of a cookie sheet lined with parchment, until golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the center, approximately 75 minutes. Halfway through, slide an empty baking sheet onto the top rack to prevent over-browning.

Cool the pie for 2-3 hours before serving.

For checkerboard design:

Roll out the remaining dough into a 10 x 13″ rectangle. With a ruler and a sharp knife, cut the chilled dough into 10 x 1/2 inch strips. Lay two strips (your largest) vertically across the middle of the pie. Lay another two strips (your largest) horizontally across the middle of the pie, over top of the first two strips. Take two additional strips and place them vertically, a short distance next to the existing strips and “weave” them into the horizontal strips. Continue both vertically and horizontally until the pie is covered, with only small spaces in between the strips.