I have a confession to make: I don’t like cherries. Fresh cherries from our trip to BC every year are good, but I’m not one to rave about them and want to snack on them all day long. Plus? They’re really expensive, even when you buy them locally. However do I love baking with cherries and love cherry flavour. So, when we go on our trip to the orchard every year, I always buy a basket of cherries so Braden can enjoy some fresh and I can make a cherry pie.
You will need:
- 4 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tablespoon almond extract
- Margarine or butter to dot pie filling
- Recipe for perfect pie crust
This recipe requires a lot of time and love, I’m not going to lie. I bought this cherry pitter last summer and I love it, so do the boys! There are various models and ones like this that can do more than one at a time. Anyway, back to the pie! Start by pitting your cherries, and as you’re doing so, I like to rip apart the cherry into a few pieces. This part is optional, but I like the texture better than whole globs of cherry when I’m eating my pie — just a personal preference.
Once you have your 4 cups of cherries, put them in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cover them. The cherries will start losing their juices, I like to keep them on heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. While they are cooking, in a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together — you can add up to ½ cup more of sugar, I always do a taste text of the cherry mixture and never have to add more as the cherries are sweet as it is. Remove the cherries from heat and pour in the sugar mixture and mix well. Add the almond extract and return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. I have never had a problem with the consistency of this pie filling, but if the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch. It also thickens as it cooks and cools.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and you can now make the pie crust. Roll out a piece to place in the bottom of a 9″ pie plate, I use a 9.5″ deep dish glass pie plate and the mixture fits perfectly. Pour cooled (doesn’t have to be completely cooled, just not piping hot) cherry mixture into the crust and dot the top with butter. Place top crust on, or even do a lattice top if you prefer, and secure pie crusts together. I like to pinch and flute the edge of the pie or just use a fork to seal them together; cut off excess dough. Make slits on top of the crust for steam to escape and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or when the crust is golden brown and pie filling is bubbling. You might want to put tin foil or a baking sheet underneath as it may bubble over. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
- 4 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Margarine or butter to dot pie filling
- *Recipe for perfect pie crust
- Pit cherries and halve them, or simply tear them into pieces with your fingers if desired.
- Put cherries in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cover them. The cherries will start losing their juices; keep them on heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
- While they are cooking, in a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together.
- Remove the cherries from heat and pour in the sugar mixture and mix well.
- Add the almond extract and return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently.
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Put pie dough into pie plate and pour cherry pie filling in. Place a few pieces of margarine or butter on top of filling.
- Cover pie filling with pie dough and cut slights on top to vent.
- Bake at 400 for 45 minutes until filling is bubbling and top is golden brown.
Perfect pie crust recipe here: http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/2014/07/perfect-pie-crust/
Recipe adapted from Food Network.
I hope you enjoy this pie, let me know if you do!
Disclosure: This recipe contains affiliate links, thanks for your support.
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I would like to know what kind of a cherry pitter you have?
I linked to it in this blog post 🙂 But here it is again: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HINHL0?ie=UT…