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Double Cherry Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Pie Academy" by Ken Haedrich


Recipe Introduction

"I found this recipe years ago on a cherry marketing website. The recipe is no longer there, but it should be. With two kinds of sour cherries — fresh and dried — along with sugar and a bit of butter, nutmeg, and almond extract to highlight the flavor of the fruit, it's a cherry pie for cherry purists."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Double-crust pie dough of your choice
â—¦ 4 ½ cups pitted sour cherries, frozen and partially thawed, or canned and drained
â—¦ 1 cup dried sour cherries
â—¦ 1 cup sugar, plus a little for sprinkling
â—¦ 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
â—¦ ½ teaspoon almond extract
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
â—¦ 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
â—¦ Milk or half-and-half, for glaze


Recipe

Prepare and refrigerate the pie dough. Roll the larger dough portion into a 13-inch circle and line a 9- to 9 ½-inch deep-dish pie pan with it, letting the excess dough drape over the edge. Refrigerate the shell until needed.

Adjust the oven racks so one is in the lower position and another is in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all the cherries, the sugar, tapioca, and almond extract in a large bowl. Mix well. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

Roll the other dough half into an 11-inch circle. Turn the filling into the pie shell, smoothing out the fruit with a spoon. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the fruit and dot the filling with the butter. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell. Drape the top pastry over the filling, pressing along the edge to seal. Trim the overhang with scissors, leaving an even ½ to ¾ inch all around, then sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Flute or crimp the edge, as desired. Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie with a large fork or paring knife. Put a couple of the vents near the edge so you can check the juices. Lightly brush the pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Put the pie on the prepared baking sheet and bake on the lower oven rack for 30 minutes. Move the pie up to the middle rack, rotating it 180 degrees. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until the juices bubble thickly up through the steam vents. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for at least 1 ½ to 2 hours. This pie is best eaten slightly warm or at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate leftovers after 24 hours.

Makes 8 to 10 servings



• Do try to find sour cherries to make this pie, but don't despair if all you can find are sweet ones. Just reduce the sugar by about half and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the filling.