Description
A stunning double-crusted cherry pie using fresh cherries for a show-stopping summer dessert!
Ingredients
Filling:
- 6 cups fresh cherries, pitted
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- pinch of salt
Crust:
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold & cubed
- 1/4 cup cold water
Topping:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- To make the filling: In a saucepan over medium heat, add the pitted cherries (see tip below for a quick and easy way to pit cherries*) lemon juice, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low. Continue to let simmer, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
- To make the pie crust: Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Add the water and knead with your hands until well combined. Divide dough into two equal balls.
- Flatten each ball of dough slightly and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let set while you prep the work surface. On a lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a disc that is about 1-inch larger than the pie plates. Check for size by inverting the pie plate over the rolled out disc of dough to measure for a 1-inch edge surrounding the pie plate. The disc should be about 1/8-inch thick.
- Transfer the dough to the pie plate by gently rolling the dough up around your rolling pin and then placing the rolling pin on one side of the pie plate and rolling it into the plate. Press down and around to make the dough fit the pie plate and hang over the sides.
- Fill the pie with the cooled cherry filling.
- Roll the other ball of dough out to the same size as the first dough. Place over the top of the cherry filling in the pie plate. Trim the dough all around the rim of the pie plate and then decorate (flute, pinch or fork) the crusts together or just gently press the top and the bottom crusts together around the edges. With a sharp knife, make six small slits in a circle pattern in the middle of the top crust.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush over the top and edges of the pie. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and wrap the edges of the crust with foil to protect them from getting burnt. Return to the oven for 30 more minutes or until the top crust is golden brown and the cherries are bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, remove the foil around the edges, and let pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing into.
Notes
- No cherry pitter? No problem! The easiest, quickest and cheapest way I’ve found to pit cherries is by placing the cherry on top of an empty bottle and poking the pit into the bottle with a chopstick. Ta-da!