I recently discovered it’s British Pie Week. Seriously. Check it out. The website leads me to believe that it’s a celebration based on pre-made pie dough and fabricated by a company in order to sell more product but hey, who am I to criticize a nation celebrating pie?
I’m fairly certain that British Pie Week is meant to celebrate things like Steak and Kidney Pie, Chicken Pot Pie and Fish Pie. While I won’t deny my Welsh roots, I will deny wanting to eat Fish Pie. Ewww. Instead, I give you Cherry Pie.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this pie. The funny thing is, I hate cherry pie. Really. It’s sour. And cherry flavoured. My husband on the other hand – he loves cherry pie. His idea of a perfect birthday cake is my home made cherry pie. Since I’m no connoisseur but he certainly is, I have it on his opinion that this recipe makes the best.pie.ever.
Go forth – make pie! Celebrate British Pie Week. I think we should follow it with Canadian Exercise Week to work off the calories 😉
Crust
I use a food processor. I’ve had plenty of experience making pie crust by hand. It’s a very romantic notion. Practical? Not so much. I hate how it gets under my finger nails, so I opt for the processor.
Recipe makes enough for a total of 5 single crusts (2 double crust pies and one single, 1 double crust pie and 3 singles – you get the idea).
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks – very cold!
- 1 cup vegetable shortening – very cold!
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup ice water
Place flour, sugar & salt in bowl of food processor. Pulse to mix.
Add butter and pulse 2-3 times. Add shortening (it warms up faster than the butter, hence I add it after I’ve pulsed the butter a few times but you could add it at the same time) and pulse just until the fat is dispersed throughout the flour. The pieces of fat resemble small peas. If you’re not sure, it’s better to stop when the pieces are bigger rather than smaller.
Mix the egg into a bowl; add the lemon juice and the water. I find this works best in a pyrex measuring cup. Make sure these ingredients are cold in order to maintain the consistency of the butter and shortening.
Remove the lid of your food processor (make sure it’s turned off!). Pour the water/lemon juice/egg mixture over the flour mixture. Replace the cover and pulse just enough times that you’ve made a rough mass of dough.
Unplug your food processor; remove the lid and dump onto a lightly floured counter top.
Shape the mass into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour (can be left for up to 3 days; can be tightly wrapped and sealed in a ziploc bag and frozen for up to 3 months). I shape the dough into a log because then I can score 5 equal sections to make my pie crusts. For this pie, you’ll need 2 crusts: a top and a bottom.
I like to make the pie crust a day in advance. Once your pie crust is firm and you’ve got a section, roll out your dough to fit a 9 inch pie pan. Stick it in the fridge while you make the filling.
Pie Filling
Whoa. This is going to take all of 5 minutes to make. Better get that oven preheated. Crank it up to 425 F.
- 5-6 cups of sour cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen – note that if you use frozen, you must defrost and allow enough time for most of the juices to be extracted or you’ll end up with a soggy mess)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/1/4 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- milk for glazing
In a large bowl, toss the cherries, cornstarch, flour, sugar and lemon juice together. That’s it.
Put it all together
Pour the filling into the previously prepared pie crust. Stick it in the fridge. Roll out another pie crust (the top). You can get fancy and cut it into lattice or whatever you want. Remove the pie from the fridge. Dip a pastry brush (or your finger) in the milk and run it around the edge of the bottom pie crust, where the top will sit. You want to seal the seams. Place the top crust on the pie. Pinch the edges to seal the crust. Trim the edges and flute or whatever you want. Prick a few slits in the top with a sharp knife. Using that pastry brush and the milk, glaze the top of the pie. Sprinkle with fancy coarse sugar if you have any or just leave as is.
Bake the pie for 20 mins then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake until juices begin to bubble, about 35-45 mins. I like to keep a cookie sheet handy and slip it onto the rack below the pie if the pie starts to bubble over. Keep in mind that a cookie sheet will increase your cooking time as it absorbs some of the heat and blocks it from the pie.
Remove pie from the oven and allow to cool before eating otherwise those cherries are going to burn your mouth. Badly.
Serves 6-8. Or 2-4 if you’re my husband. What can I say? He likes his pie.
Smelly Moments 