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The Ultimate Four-Cherry Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Pie Academy" by Ken Haedrich


Recipe Introduction

"I'm the proverbial kid in the candy store when it comes to cherries, a situation that sometimes finds me with an assortment of pie cherries on hand: sweet, sour, and the Rainier cherries I like so much for pies. Since I almost always have at least a partial bag of dried cherries hanging around, I've been known to combine all of them in a pie and make one heck of a good four-cherry pie."

List of Ingredients

Crust:
◦ Buttermilk Pie Dough or another single-crust dough

Filling:
◦ 2 cups pitted fresh sour cherries
◦ 2 cups pitted fresh Rainier cherries
◦ 1 cup pitted fresh sweet cherries
◦ � cup dried sour or sweet cherries
◦ � cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
◦ 1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice
◦ Finely grated zest of � orange
◦ � teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
◦ 3 tablespoons cornstarch

◦ Traditional German Streusel (recipe follows)


Recipe

Prepare and refrigerate the pie dough. Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle and line a 9- to 9 �-inch deep-dish pie pan with it, shaping the edge into an upstanding ridge. Flute or crimp the edge, then 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 400� F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all the cherries, the � cup sugar, lemon juice, orange zest, and vanilla (if using) in a large bowl. Mix well. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Mix the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl; stir into the fruit.

Turn the filling into the pie shell and smooth the fruit out with a spoon. Put the pie on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a generous amount of the streusel; you may not need all of it. Tamp the streusel down gently.

Bake the pie, on the sheet, on the lower oven rack for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375� F and move the pie up to the middle rack, rotating it 180 degrees. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until the juices bubble thickly around the edge. If the top of the pie starts to get too dark, cover it with aluminum foil. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for at least 1 � to 2 hours before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers after 24 hours.

Makes 8 to 10 servings




❧ Traditional German Streusel:

"This is a no-frills version of streusel, made in the traditional hand-rubbed way. It has a sandy texture and bakes up beautifully. If you prefer a stand mixer, use the flat beater. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix briefly on low. Add the cold butter and mix on low until everything is evenly combined and the mixture has a sandy consistency."

◦ 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
◦ � packed light brown sugar
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ � cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into �-inch cubes

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the butter and toss it to coat as well.

Using your fingers, thoroughly rub the butter and dry ingredients together until all of the butter is incorporated and the topping is evenly mixed. You don't have to rush, but don't dilly-dally because it's best if the butter stays cold. When you're done, the mixture will be fine textured and feel a bit like dry sand.

Put the bowl in the fridge, or first transfer the topping to a shallow casserole dish or pie pan, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. Leftover topping can be stored in plastic freezer bags and frozen for up to a year.

Makes about 2 cups, enough to cover 1 large pie





❧ Variation�Cornmeal Streusel:
Replace ⅔ cup of the all-purpose flour with fine yellow cornmeal. Use granulated sugar instead of the brown sugar. The cornmeal adds a pleasing crunch. Try it on any of your favorite pies, especially blueberry.