Cherry pie

We’ve all heard “as American as apple pie.” Well, while it’s true that apple pie is America’s favorite, you’ll be happy to know that cherry pie comes in a close second. Fresh apple pie is something you can make almost any time of year with fresh apples; apples keep especially well and retain their freshness and flavor for far longer than cherries.

Take advantage of your fresh cherry harvest to make a cherry pie that superbly captures the flavor of summer. You’ll never have a fresher cherry pie than the one you make with cherries picked right from the tree.

Our cherry pie recipe calls for 4 cups of pitted cherries; that’s a lot of effort for a pie, but you’ll be so pleased with the way a fresh cherry pie tastes that you may never go back to canned cherries—unless they’re your own.

It’s pretty easy to pit cherries using a metal straw, a chopstick—even a paper clip. But if you want a slightly more efficient method, get yourself a cherry pitter. Yes, it’s definitely a specialized tool, but it will make your work go faster.

Cherry pie does best with a top crust; how you create that top crust is up to you. The most traditional crust topping is a lattice style, with strips of crust dough woven across the pie. The end result is a golden crust with bright jewel tones of cherry red peeking through. If you’d rather skip the crust weaving part, you can make a traditional top crust. My cousin favors the traditional top crust, but she cuts the dough with a cherry design to make it special. Pick your favorite way to top off your cherry pie and get baking!

Cherry Pie

This is a traditional recipe and for good reason: Cherry Pie is the perfect way to use the cherries from your harvest and it’s a crowd-pleaser as a dessert. Try it topped with vanilla ice cream.

• Author: Bill Dugan
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cooling Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 8
• Category: Bakery

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Dough for a 9-inch double crust pie
• 4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 4 cups pitted cherries
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place bottom crust in pie pan. Set top crust aside, covered.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine tapioca, salt, sugar, cherries, and extracts. Let stand 15 minutes. Turn out into bottom crust and dot with butter. Cover with top crust, flute edges, and cut vents in top. Place pie on a foil-lined cookie sheet in case of drips.
3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Let cool for several hours before slicing.

Have you tried this recipe? It’s so classic and delicious—please tell us how it turned out for you.