Everyone has one. That treat that always sounds (so) good. That instantly makes your mouth water. The one that you could probably write a blog post about.
Ha, well, that’s what I’m doing.
I have been a pie fan from a young age, oftentimes asking my mom to substitute out my birthday cake for a pie instead. While based on openly shared feedback I’m fairly certain none of my four younger sisters were too happy with the swap, but Mom made it happen, and every year seemed better than the last.
I wasn’t too picky, I loved apple for the warmth of the cinnamon, I loved strawberry rhubarb for the tartness, but my default year after year was cherry.
Fast forward to adulthood, and pie is still a personal favorite, while one I don’t indulge in too often. Cue an incredible friend who really knows her way around the kitchen, and my 29th birthday – and well, now I find myself writing a blog post about a recipe for a cherry pie, THE cherry pie.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, make sure if you make one to post on Instagram and tag @buckle so we can be jealous from afar. 😉 ❤️
Instructions
See italics for some expert tips from the baker
1: Combine flour and salt into food processor with blade ready to mix. Grate the 2/3 cup frozen butter with cheese grater and add to food processor (don’t doubt it, the frozen butter + grating = super flaky crust). Cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Then poor in ice cold water (also helps with flakiness!) slowly while the food process is running until half of the mixture forms a moist ball. Dump dough out onto plastic wrap and use plastic wrap to form the dough and crumbs into into a ball. Wrap it tight with the plastic wrap, form a disc, and refrigerate for a half hour.
2: While the dough is chilling, make the filling. Coat frozen cherries in sugar, cornstarch and almond extract in a large pot on the stove-top over medium heat. Heat until simmering and juice sticks to the back of a metal spoon. (Then taste test what’s on the spoon, because you don’t want that sweetness to go to waste.) Let cool.
3: Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in two, and using a floured rolling pin roll into a circle 2 inches larger than an upside-down pie pan. Fold rolled pastry into fourths, then place into pie pan and unfold carefully, gently slide the pastry into the crease of the bottom of the pan.
4: Pour cooled filling into the bottom crust. Roll out top pastry, fold into fourths, then place on top of filling. Cut slits for ventilation or try your hand at a Pinterest-inspired weaved pastry top. Cut excess pastry away with kitchen scissors (a trade secret that’s a life saver). Seal top and bottom pastry together with fork or flute. Cover edge with a 2- to 3-inch piece of foil to prevent over-browning, to be removed during the last 15 minutes of baking.
5: Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in crust. Cool on cooling rack for 2 hours or more before serving. Then slice and enjoy with friends. (Pro-tip: serve al a mode for an extra sweet treat.)
A special thank you to my dear friend, Hannah. You really do make the best pie. ❤️
