Fresh Cherry Pie

Every year we purchase 60 pounds of cherries. What do you do with so many cherries you ask? One of my favorite things to do is make a fresh cherry pie. That leaves a lot of cherries left, I know. We eat some and the rest of the cherries are frozen for use the rest of the year. I admit that it is delightful to have the fruit in the freezer. This year we did plant fruit trees so hopefully in future years we won’t have to buy cherries but I suspect it will be a few years before we are producing what we need. I am looking forward to my cherry pie. Cardamom is my secret ingredient – I know it’s one of those spices you either love or hate. I happen to love it and it pairs so wonderfully with cherries. If you hate it, just leave it out.

Table of Contents

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Serves 8 – 10

For the Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour
3 TBS granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
8 TBS cold, unsalted butter
1/3 cup shortening
up to 6 TBS ice water

For the Pie

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4 – 5 cups pitted and halved fresh cherries
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cardamom or more to taste
pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cold, unsalted butter

Egg wash – 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water

Sugar in the raw, if desired for the top of the pie

Vanilla Ice cream if desired

Make the pie crust:

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the cold butter and shortening. Cut the fats into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas.
Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork until the dough just comes together.
Turn out onto your work surface and knead once or twice until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Cut into two pieces, form into two flattened circles, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and put in the refrigerator for an hour to rest.

Make the pie:

While the crust is resting pit and halve the cherries.
When you are ready to fill the pie plate mix the cherries with the brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, salt and cardamom.
Preheat the oven to 425°
Remove one of the crust rounds from the refrigerator. Roll it out so that it extends at least 1″ past the edge of your 9″ pie pan. Trim so the edge is even.
Brush the bottom of the pie crust with some of the egg wash. Fill the crust, letting the cherries drain through your fingers if necessary. Dot with butter.
Roll the second dough disc to a width that will cover the top of the pie with a 1″ overhang.
Fold up the overhang from the bottom crust.
Pinch in the edge with the index finger of your right hand and the thumb and index finger of your left hand (if you are right handed) to make a decorative edge. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle the sugar in the raw on top if desired.
Make a foil ring (and don’t be like me and forget to spray it with cooking spray or it will stick to your crust!) and cover the edge of your crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350° and bake for 30 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the crust is nice and brown. Remove the foil ring when you lower the temperature.

Let sit until cool before slicing .

How Was the Fresh Cherry Pie?

I do enjoy my (for the most part) once a year cherry pie. It’s one of those rights of passage that comes every year. I don’t add a lot of sugar so the taste of the fruit really shines. The cardamom is a heady addition and it really does pair well with the cherries. If you truly hate it cinnamon works well too.