Classics should have a place in every repetoire–like a little black dress, red nail polish, a sharp suit for the dudes–and the same goes for the baking. I like to think of pies as classic, edible, nostalgia and aside from the iconic apple, Sour Cherry is right up there with the standards. Regardless of the filling though, pie needs a place in all our our recipe boxes.
There is nothing fancy happening in this pie. It’s a lattice-topped classic–sans the goopy filling from a can. There are sour cherries, sugar, a little cornstarch to thicken, and the teensiest pinch of cinnamon to take those cherries to another level. The crust is all butter, flaky and just salty enough. Even though it may not be fancy-pants, it is still classic and perfect.
That’s the thing with pie, it’s perfectly imperfect. A lot of people seem to be afraid of pie baking…but, I’m here to tell you, don’t be. If there’s a tear in the crust, patch it up. So what if you overwork the dough a bit–dial it back on the next try, practice makes perfect…or at least good enough to eat. If you’re filling bubbles over or doesn’t set up, who cares–you made a pie and maybe you’re even going to share it with other people…and trust me, they sure don’t care that the crust is patched, torn, or fruit juices are leaking because you made them something from your own kitchen! The rustic, handmade nature of pie is part of the appeal–it just means that this pie is the real deal, made by a human being. So, make a some pie, top it with ice cream, and share it with other human beings. I’m sure they’ll thank you for it, pie-flaws and all.
For more Sour Cherry goodness, check out this post.
Sour Cherry Lattice Pie
Makes 1 double crusted 8-9 inch pie.
Pie Dough
recipe from Martha Stewart
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled well
2 1/2 cups all-purpose or soft wheat flour (like White Lilly brand)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4-1/2 cup ice water
Using fingers, a pastry blender, or a food processor work the butter into the flour, salt, and sugar until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger (pea-sized) chunks of butter throughout. Add ice water a tablespoon or two at a time, mixing lightly or pulsing with a food processor just until the mixture comes together to form a dough when compressed. Gather the dough together, kneading once or twice just to combine. Divide the dough in half and press into two discs, wrap well with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour before rolling out.
Filling and Assembly
I used frozen sour cherries…one day I’ll snag some elusive fresh ones, but for now frozen works beautifully here.
When assembling a pie, I like to fold the overlapping crust back onto the edge of the pie instead of trimming it. It reinforces the pie edge and makes it a bit easier to remove the first slice when you are ready to cut it.
2 pounds unsweetened sour cherries
1/2-3/4 cup sugar, to taste
tiny pinch of salt
tiny pinch of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
chilled pie dough
cream and sugar for brushing and sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 375*F.
In a mixing bowl combine cherries, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Stir to coat the cherries.
Roll out your bottom crust to about 1/8 inch thick, making sure the crust is larger than the pie pan. Roll the bottom crust onto your rolling pin and unroll it over the pie pan. Fit the crust into the pan and fold any overlapping crust back over–reinforcing the pie edge. Fill the crust with the cherry mixture.
Roll out the remaining disc of pie dough and cut into 1/2 inch strips. Weave the strips in a lattice fashion over the filling and bottom crust. Once completed, crimp the edges of the pie and brush the top with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the center of the oven on a baking sheet for 40-60 minutes, until the crust is golden and juices are bubbling. If the crust edge begins to darken too much before the pie is done, fashion a collar out of aluminum foil to cover the edge of the pie and return to the hot oven until done baking.
Yeah girl! I totally agree. Pie flaws are totes ok. What’s a pie without the little burn-y bits on top? And sour cherry sounds super good. You just know!
Well, I’m just glad to know we agree here.
YUMMERS!
Thanks Erika!
Yum! Pie! I love making and eating pie. It’s probably my favorite baked good, which makes sense since it is in the title of my blog 😉 Yours looks amazing; I wish I could take a bite through the screen. I agree people should make pie more, because even when they aren’t perfect, somehow they still manage to be good enough to forget about the imperfections.
Exactly!
Pie! Pie pie pie pie. This is really making me wish that sour cherries were easier to find here in CA!
They are elusive!
Ooo wow wow wow. What a gorgeous, classy perfectly imperfect pie! I’m so into it. Mmmhmm
Thank You Stephanie!
I love sour cherries: I have four pounds of them frozen and almost wish I had bought more–why are they so hard to find? Gorgeous plates too.
Thanks Sara! They’re just so dang delicate! I’m jealous of your 4 lbs!
Prettiest pie of all time! The imperfections are exactly why I love pie and other crusted fruit desserts. I’m really sour cherry jealous!