Cherry Pie

The cherry is becoming an increasingly important part of the human diet.  I knew my mom was up to something when she made her summer cherry pies.  She and my uncle were expert pie makers.  While my mom was detail oriented and meticulous in her pie making, my uncle Bill, a cook for the US Army, was expert in what he called “batch cooking” or cooking large quantities of food.

While our family totaled about 30 people, my uncle would make about a dozen pies each holiday.  Just enough for each person to have enough lemon, apple, pumpkin and cherry pie plus each family got to take a whole pie home with them.  Baking is truly a gift unique to each family.  Each has its own “secret trick” or ingredient.   Our is butter and cream whipped by hand.

Cherry pie is a summer delicacy.  Each year we have a run on cherry pitters.  Some of the best cherries are found on the West Coast but it seems that throughout this great land, the cherry is a staple of the great American summer.  As state and county fairs approach, as Independence Day marches forward, summer is now in full swing and with it comes the cherry pie.  You can find some of my favorite pie accessories and cherry pitting devices here on WilliamGlen.com.

Aside from the juicy cherry, a really important part of cherry pie is the crust or pate brisee.  My mother, Mardelle Snyder, perfected her recipe over 60 years and now I share it with you.  Take the scrap dough and make pie dough crisps for the kids by brushing with melted butter and baking for about 10 minutes at 350º.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
16 tablespoons cold (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture approximates oatmeal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
• Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is quite crumbly but holds together when pinched with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). To help ensure a flaky crust, do not overprocess.
• Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form pie dough into a round disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (you may keep frozen as is for up to 3 days). Repeat with the remaining dough. (Disks can be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, up to 3 months. Thaw before using.) Makes 2 disks.

Tips

My mother perfected her pie crusts by following these seven simple rules.  Now you can produce a flaky, tender crust every time.

• When making the dough, make sure the butter is very cold.
• Handle the dough as little as possible. Both the stretching of the dough and the warmth from your hands will further the development of gluten (long, stringy protein molecules that form when flour is blended with liquid) resulting in a tough dough that's difficult to roll out.
• Since our pie-dough recipe yields two single crusts, divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a flat disk before wrapping it in plastic and chilling. This will make it easier to roll out each crust into a perfect circle.
• Chill the dough thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) before rolling it out, and use a minimum of flour to dust the rolling pin and work surface. Brush excess flour from the rolled dough with a dry pastry brush before transferring it to the pie plate.
• For an extra-crispy pie crust with a golden color, brush the unbaked top crust with water, and sprinkle it with sugar.
• For a shiny pie crust, brush the unbaked top crust with an egg wash made from one egg and 2 tablespoons cream.
• Cut decorative vents in the top of a double-crusted fruit pie; vents allow steam to escape and prevent the fruit juices from overflowing.

Pie Filling

Ingredients
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
7 cups cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Steps

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 13 inches in diameter. Lay dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and transfer to refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Make egg wash by whisking together beaten egg and milk, and set aside. Combine pitted cherries, lemon juice, sugar, and flour, and pour into chilled bottom crust. Dot with butter. Roll out the remaining dough to the same size and thickness. Brush rim of bottom crust with the remaining beaten egg, place the other piecrust on top. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers. Transfer to a refrigerator until your dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Brush the crust with egg wash, and bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. and bake 30 to 40 minutes more. Let cool before serving.

Cheerie Cherry Facts:

• Cherries are a good source of potassium. Increasing evidence shows that a diet rich in potassium may help to control blood pressure and reduce the risk for hypertension and stroke.
• Cherries are a source of melatonin. Melatonin is an effective means for reducing jet lag and promoting overall healthy sleep patterns.
• Cherries have anti-inflammatory properties which studies suggest may help to control arthritis and gout.
• Cherries contain antioxidants. Antioxidants found in cherries may help to reduce the risk of cancer.
• Cherries contain antioxidants. Studies show that the antioxidants found in cherries may help to reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Cherries are a healthy snack. A serving size of 21 cherries has less than 100 calories.
• The anthocyanins found in cherries may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.