Damn Fine Cherry Pie

For June's pie of the month I wanted to make a cherry pie Agent Dale Cooper would be proud of. What did he say? This is where pies go when they die? So I think I did it - but only because I was lucky enough to have just picked sour cherries from my neighbor Rob.

I don't even like cherry pie normally because I usually just think of that goopy, sweet, sticky filling of the store bought variety. Well, this one is all together different. But I must emphasize that you've got to use sour cherries to make it rock your world.

Damn Fine Sour Cherry Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Crust:

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cute into cubes
5-7 TBS ice water


Filling:

1 cup sugar
3 TBS cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
5 cups pitted cherries (I used about 2/3 sour and 1/3 Bing cherries)
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 TBS milk
sugar for sprinkling

For Crust:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and
pulse until the largest bits are pea-sized. Add the chilled water, by the
tablespoon until the dough holds together if pressed. Divide dough in two pieces
and form into a flat disk shape and wrap in plastic. Chill for about 10-15
minutes or overnight. Let soften some before rolling.

Roll out dough #1 and transfer to a pie plate and trim the overhang to 1/2
inch. Roll out dough #2 and using a pastry wheel or knife cut 3/4 inch wide
strips. Reserve while making filling.



For Filling:

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Rub vanilla
bean seeds into sugar mixture. Sir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla extract
(if using). Let macerate for about 5 minutes or so. Strain out cherries and pour
into bottom crust. Spoon out some of the syrup from the bowl over the cherries
if you want your filling more loose. I prefer it a little tighter so my crust
doesn't get too soggy. Arrange the pie dough strips on top forming a lattice and
fold the bottom crust edge up over the strips and crimp to seal. Brush the
lattice (not edges) with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp. to
375 bake until top is browned and filling is bubbling - about 1 hour. Let it
cool some to set before cutting. I served it with Vanilla Ice Cream.

These kids were made to clean my house while they waited for this pie. I guess it was worth it.

Take Me There (and Pie of the Month!)

The April/May issue of ReadyMade magazine features an article about a place I thought could only exist in my dreams - an actual pie-shaped piece of land devoted to producing crops for making pies and other baked yummies . . . all tended by students and all trucked to Mission Pie in San Francisco (yet another pie themed destination to add to my list.)

The owner of both Mission Pie and Pie Ranch, Karen Heisler, sharing her bit of pie wisdom says, "Pie means community." The article goes on:

". . . pie always tastes richer when it's served with a scoop of
metaphor. Pie signifies the good life . . . it's an edible embodiment of nature's bounty and the reassuring comforts of domestic life. Pie brings people together; no one bakes a pie without plans to share it."

I'm truly inspired - what great seed for my pie book!


And speaking of pie (rarely am I not speaking of pie), I'm actually going to introduce May's Pie of the Month before the 31st!!

Rhubarb Pie

with Lemon Scented Almond Frangipane

unbaked pie crust
about 6 or so stalks of fresh rhubarb, chopped
3/4 # unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 # almond paste, room temp. - the best you can find
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
2 TBS all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp lemon juice
about 3-4 TBS melted butter
about 1/3 cup granulated sugar

In a food processor, cream the butter and almond paste until it is completely smooth. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, and salt and process until mixed together. Fold in the flour. Spread the frangipane filling in the bottom of your chilled pie crust. Toss the chopped rhubarb with the melted butter and sugar to coat. Press the rhubarb in to the filling, covering the top of the pie up to the rim. bake for about 45 minutes until the frangipane is brown and the crust is golden ( once again, nice to have glass pie plate so you can make sure it has browned thoroughly on the bottom.)

I'm serving this as an individual crostada at the restaurant - with a buttermilk panna cotta and rhubarb sorbet. I think it would be awesome with a buttermilk ice cream so I'll search for my recipe and include that on my next post. I know some of you think you may not like rhubarb much, which is exactly why you should try this recipe because I'm convinced you'll change your tune. That tart rhubard marries perfectly with the rich almond flavor and the bright lemon zest.
Say asta la vista to the standard strawberry rhubarb pie (I think cooked mushy strawberries in pie filling is just all wrong) - go for a nice fresh strawberry sauce or ooh maybe strawberry buttermilk ice cream. Oh yeah.

A Bank, A Robber, A Pie

The National section of the New York Times reported today that a small bank in Carleton , Nebraska was robbed this month for the first time in half a century . . .

Within nine minutes the sheriff's deputy arrived. Soon came the first
of many calls of concern and support, a few of which, a smiling Mr. Van Cleef
remembers, went like this: "Hear you've been robbed. Can I bring you
a pie?"

Mmmm. Made me smile too.