Sugar Crust Cherry Pie Recipes

THE BEST CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place bottom pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan; made pricks along the bottom with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pie crust is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove crust from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
• Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract together in a bowl. Pour cherry mixture into the prepared pie pan; dot with butter. Cover with top crusts, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents into the top with a sharp knife. Place the pie on a foil-covered baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. If it is browning too fast cover the pie with an aluminum foil tent. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 10 to 20 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

SUGAR-TOPPED CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Pit the cherries, then macerate them in a large bowl with the kirsch and sugar for 1 hour or so. If using jarred cherries, strain and reserve 1/4 cup juice to mix with the cornstarch. Pour off the juice that has collected into a smaller bowl and stir in the sifted cornstarch to thicken it. Return the thickened juice to the cherries.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Divide the dough into roughly 2/3 and 1/3. Roll out the larger piece for the bottom of the pie and drop it into a greased pie pan. Pour in the cherry mixture. Roll out the second piece of dough and place it over the cherries, crimping the edges together well with the tines of a fork. Brush the top with beaten egg, then sprinkle the demerara. Make a couple of slashes in the crust for the steam to escape and bake the pie for about 40 minutes or until the top has browned. Serve warm or at room temperature with clotted or whipped cream, or a la mode with homemade vanilla ice cream.
• Use approximately twice the weight of all purpose flour (preferably organic) to unsalted butter. Some recipes call for half butter, half lard.
• Sift the flour and a pinch of sea salt into a food processor, then cut the cold butter into small pieces on top of it. I process it for 20 to 30 seconds, then add ice-cold water through the top, a tablespoon at a time, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes should be enough for about 10 ounces of dough, with the machine running. If the paste is still in crumbly little bits after 1 or 2 minutes, add a tablespoon more water, but remember, the more water you use, the more the crust will shrink if you bake it blind. One solution is to use a bit of cream or egg yolk instead of water. The moment the dough has cohered into a single ball, stop, remove it, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• If you're making pastry dough by hand, sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt, add the chopped butter, and work as briskly as you can to rub the fat into the flour. Use the tip of your fingers only, rather like running grains of hot sand through your fingers. Add the water bit by bit as above; wrap and chill the dough.
• If you're making a double crust pie, divide the dough into roughly 2/3 and 1/3. Then scatter a bit of flour on your work surface, roll your rolling pin in it, dust the palms of your hands, and start rolling. Always roll away from yourself, tuning the dough as you go, and keep the rolling pin and work surface floured to prevent sticking.
• Preheat the oven to 375 to 400 degrees F.
• Line your greased pie pan with dough. Never stretch it; it will stretch back. Try to leave at least 30 minutes for the unbaked dough to commune with the inside of your fridge. Or put it in the night before you need it.
• Tear off a piece of waxed paper a little larger than the pie pan and place it over the dough. Cover the paper with a layer of dried beans; the idea is to prevent the pastry from rising up in the oven. When the dough is nearly cooked (the timing depends on the rest of the recipe), remove the paper and beans and prick the bottom of the pie shell to let out trapped air that would otherwise bubble up. Return the tart to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to dry the bottom. Brushing the partly baked pie shell with a light coating of beaten egg or egg white ensure a crisp finished tart.

CLASSIC SOUR CHERRY PIE WITH LATTICE CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
• For filling:
• Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

MARTHA'S SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla in a bowl.
• Make the crust: Roll out 1 disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Pour in filling; dot with butter. Refrigerate while making top crust.
• Roll remaining disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 4 to 5 holes using a 3/4-inch round cookie cutter or pastry tip. Place on top of pie.
• Trim bottom and top crusts to a 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears and press together to seal around edges. Fold edges under; crimp as desired. Freeze for 20 minutes.
• Brush crust with egg wash. Bake pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet set on the middle rack, until pie is bubbling in center and crust is golden, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool before serving.

JUICY CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., Preheat oven to 375°. For filling, place cherries in a large bowl; drizzle with lemon juice and almond extract. In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle over cherries and toss gently to coat., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough portion into a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust even with rim. Add filling., Roll remaining dough into a 1/8-in.-thick circle; cut out stars or other shapes using cookie cutters. Place top crust over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. If desired, decorate top with cutouts., Bake 40 minutes. For topping, brush top of pie with milk; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 15-20 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.

PERFECT SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press the bottom pie crusts into 2 pie pans.
• Combine cherries, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Let sit until sugar begins to draw out the cherries' juices, about 10 minutes. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat; simmer until the juices thicken and become translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and almond extract until well mixed. Pour into the bottom half of the pie shells. Cover with top crusts, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents into the top with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes.

MOM'S FANTASTIC CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Mix cherries, sugar, and almond extract in saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Pour or scoop out 1/2 cup cherry juice, and add cornsarch. Mix well until a paste forms. You may wish to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to turn it into a liquid rather than a paste. Slowly add to the simmering cherries, mixing well while adding. Allow to simmer until thickened. Set aside.
• For pie crust, mix flour and salt; cut in shortening, using pastry blender or two knives. You want to stop when you have large pea size clumps of shortening - any smaller, and you'll lose out on some flakiness! Add in ice water (I actually add ice to my water to ensure it's super cold), and mix, drawing a fork up from the bottom of the bowl, adding water until the dough is moist enough that it sticks together when pressed. TIP: Don't touch the pastry dough any more than absolutely necessary! Separate into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out larger ball on a floured board, and place into pie pan; it should overlap. Roughly cut edge even with edges. Roll out smaller ball of dough, and set aside.
• Pour filling into pie crust; top with remaining pastry dough, allowing it to overhang edges. Again, roughly cut crust, slightly larger than edge of pie pan. Tuck top crust under bottom crust (to prevent leaks), and crimp. Cut vents into top crust, and if you have any scraps left over, shape into a few flat cherries with stems, and place on top of pie.
• Lightly brush top of pie with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30 minutes more.
• Enjoy!

CHERRY PIE IV

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold shortening until pea-sized (you may use the paddle of a stand mixer for this step, or pulse in a food processor, then transfer to a bowl). Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half the dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate, loosely cover with plastic, and refrigerate.
• Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan; add cherries and toss to coat. Let stand for about 10 minutes to draw out the cherry juices.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
• Bring cherry filling to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute or until the juices thicken and become translucent (filling will thicken further as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Mix thoroughly and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Roll out second crust and cut into lattice strips or decorative shapes. When filling is cool, pour into bottom pie shell. Cover filling with top crust or cutouts and crimp edges.
• Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place pie on hot baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes. Let pie cool and set several hours before slicing.

CLASSIC CHERRY PIE WITH A BUTTER CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Toss together cherries, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl.
• Make the crust: Roll out 1 disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Pour in filling; dot top with butter. Refrigerate while making top crust.
• Roll remaining disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 4 or 5 holes using a 3/4-inch round cookie cutter. Place on top of pie.
• Trim bottom and top crusts to a 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears, and press together to seal around edges. Fold edges under; crimp as desired. Freeze for 20 minutes.
• Brush crust with egg wash. Bake pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet set on the middle rack, with a foil-lined baking sheet on bottom rack to catch juices, until pie is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool before serving.

MAJESTIC CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, flour, tapioca and salt. Add cherries and lemon juice; toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes., Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Add filling; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar., Bake at 400° for 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack.

BASIC PIE DOUGH FOR SWEET CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse briefly. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix.
• Divide dough in half, and turn out onto 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over each portion of dough; press to shape into 2 3/4-inch-thick disks. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days); dough can also be frozen up to 3 months (thaw before using).
• On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll 1 disk of dough to a 14-inch round. Wrap dough around rolling pin; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and sides of plate (do not stretch dough). Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang all around; refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve and refrigerate remaining disk of dough for top crust.