Recipe Review: Sour Cherry Pie

Introduction

This is the perfect dessert for when you manage to get your hands on fresh sour cherries. They are usually only available for a couple of weeks in July – so grab them if you see them. This pie really makes the cherries the star of the show as they account for ~90% of the filling. Don’t let the fancy crust fool you – the cherries are the star. This pie is a lot of work (don’t underestimate preparing the cherries), but the perfect way to use sour cherries. Plan accordingly as this pie is best done over two days (to allow for freezing the cherries and letting the pie sit).

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Sour Cherry Pie	Special Equipment: 9 Inch Pie Plate
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 1-2 days
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 4/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★☆

Making The Flaky Pie Dough

Tip 1: Consider freezing the bowl, the rolling pin, and the working surface (such as a cutting board) to keep the butter from melting. Likewise, freeze the bowl and the flour/butter mixture for at least 5 minutes between each step.

Tip 2: Consider chilling in refrigerator for longer than suggested for both steps.

Making The Sour Cherry Filling

Tip 1: It can be very hard to find sour cherries. Try looking in the frozen section. You can find them fresh for a couple of weeks in July at grocery stores and farmers markets. Buy more than you need and freeze any extras. It’s a rare fruit.

Tip 2: If you don’t have a cherry pitter you can achieve the same effect with household items. Place a cherry upside-down on top of a bottle with a small enough opening that the cherry doesn’t fall in (we used an empty bottle of vanilla). Hold the cherry with one hand and use a sturdy straw to push the pit out into the bottle. As the bottle fills with pits, empty it out and continue.

Tip 3: You should freeze the cherries as recommended (pitted first) to avoid excess liquid during baking. Give them at least a day to freeze.

Preparing The Pie

Tip 1: Freeze the pie for at least 5-10 minutes before baking. This is highly recommended in the video, but not mentioned in the book.

Tip 2: After forming the edge, press around with fork tines (making sure to flour the fork repeatedly). This is mentioned in the video but not the book.

Tip 3: Consider arranging the strips so that open gaps near the edges are minimized (so the open gaps in the middle are larger). This will help prevent overflow. Likewise, it’ll give more space for extra filling to rise into.

Tip 4: Depending on the dimensions of your plate, using the listed amount of cherries could lead to some overflow. The pie will actually not raise nor sink much while baking – so the level the cherries are at when raw is the level your pie will end up at (for the most part). Consider making the cherries level with the edge or even a bit below. That being said, any overflow is harmless. The star is the cherries and the pie is rather messy to eat anyways. The inside sets well, but collapses when poked at a bit.

Tip 5: Don’t make the cherry mixture until just before you’re ready to completely assemble the pie. Excess juice from sitting around can lead to a worse bake. This is mentioned in the video.

Baking The Pie

Tip: After the first 20 minutes at higher heat (or shortly thereafter) you’ll likely need to tent the edge with foil. This will help prevent it from over-browning or burning. Keep a close eye out for this and be prepared to tent with foil ahead of time. See here.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• This is a rather difficult pie to make, despite the seemingly few steps.
• It takes 4+ hours for the pie to cool and really “set”. Consider giving it a full extra day (so plan to eat it the day after you make it).
• The preparation is excessive if you are preparing the cherries fresh (not pitted and not frozen). Preparing the cherries can take upwards of an hour and freezing can take over 12 hours. Account accordingly.
• Final Score: 4/5 – This is a great recipe if you manage to get your hands on some sour cherries. Don’t hesitate because you may not find them again. You can always freeze them and attempt the pie later (they last forever in the freezer). This pie is quite challenging, but the end result is delicious. Get quality cherries – it’s all about the cherries (the crust is mostly for show).