Best of Show Cherry Pie
It’s cherry pie time! I love this season of year. The days are long and warm. In fact, Western Washington is in the middle of a heat wave right now! This weekend Seattle was in the 90’s and it was pushing 80 in Port Angeles. I’m grateful for the ocean breeze that keeps Pie Cottage relatively cool even on the warmest of days. When it’s warm like it is now, and maybe where you are too,I try to get my baking done early in the morning before it gets too hot. Doesn’t it seem so ironic that high summer fruit season is when the weather is more challenging for making doughs and rolling them out? I try to work as quickly as I can with my pastry so the fat in it won’t get the idea that it’s ok to melt. Keep everything chilled—especially yourself. Always a good reminder. Yes?
Cherry Pie is one of the two pies that folks say that they like the best. It comes as no surprise to me that the other is Apple. I love to ask this question in informal polls across the country. In case you are wondering, my favorite pie is peach. Be sure to put enough thickener into the filling so that you won’t have gloppy red soup. I like to use quick cooking tapioca. Here’s the one that I made today for my friends Jean and Roy.
Best of Show Cherry Pie
I used some Montmorency cherries. You may be lucky enough to have a tree or a friend with a tree. Some count the days to when these cherries make their brief appearance at the Farmers Markets. Another variety that I love to use is Morello. Lovely, dark, and rich in flavor.
Morello Cherries and Cherry Pie
Once you have them, they will keep for a few days refrigerated. But, I try to head home and dive right into pitting them and making my pies. After pitting them, if you are not going to use them right way, you can can them, or you might want to freeze them in a single layer on a cookie tin or sheet pan, and then pop them into dated plastic bags. They’ll last at least six months if you can wait that long. When I make my filling, I treat the frozen cherries exactly the same as I do fresh, and by that I mean that there’s no need to defrost them.
Here’s my Best of Show Cherry Pie that brought me my first Blue and Best of Show ribbons.
Easy Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for double crust pie dough
- 6 cups sour cherries fresh and pitted, canned and drained, or frozen (you won’t need to defrost them)
- 1 cup sugar + a few teaspoons more for sprinkling the top
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- A very small grating of whole nutmeg
- 2-3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca if you are brave, just use a good size handful
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons orange liqueur optional
- 1 tablespoon butter for dotting the top of the filling if you forget this, it's fine...really!
Egg White Wash
- 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water for an egg white wash
Instructions
- Make dough, divide into two disks, wrap in plastic and chill.
- Put cherries, sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, quick cooking tapioca, salt into a bowl and gently mix together until well coated.
- Roll out the bottom dough and place in your pie pan.
- Pour filling into crust. (Note: Cherries are a very juicy fruit so fill your pie pan to within 1/2 inch of the rim so they won’t boil over when baking.)
- Dot with butter and set aside.
- Roll out remaining dough and lay over the fruit, or cut strips and make a lattice top.
- Trim excess dough from edges and crimp.
- Brush crust with some egg white wash and sprinkle evenly and lightly with 1-2 teaspoons of sugar.
- Place pie in refrigerator to chill while oven is preheating to 425° F.
- Bake at 425° F on the middle rack of the oven until crust is just golden, about 20 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 375° F; bake until golden brown and there is some steady bubbling in the filling, about 30-35 minutes more.
- Let cool before serving.
For Valentine’s Day, top it with lots of hearts.
The cherries that are available now in Edmonds, WA. seem to be the generic dark red ones and Rainiers. Can I use those in this pie and use less sugar?
Yes, you can. I would add something to account for the tartness though. Perhaps some more lemon juice. Taste the filing as you go, Deborah.
Thanks!
Aha! Orange liqueur – what a wonderful addition. Thank you again and again, Kate for your friendship and pie tasting during our last few months in P.A. We will get together for another dinner party one day soon! Might even catch you on the road – wouldn’t that be fun!
It sure would, Jean! I look forward to following your adventures. xo K
Thank you for sharing your pie dough recipe, can’t wait to try it!
It’s been a while since I’ve had a box of the white fluffy stuff in the blue can in my baking pantry. I’ve been using mainly butter, which has not always proved satisfactory. We’ve eaten may tough, greasy crusts. My hubbie never complains, but I am certainly going to give yours a try. I do keep everything really cold, but I think it’s just too much butter.
Looking for a local supplier of leaf lard … I am just learning about it and think it may be the answer. There are numerous websites that advertise it, but if you know of a sure bet, would really appreciate being pointed in their direction. Nice to meet someone who blogs in the same neighborhood! Really enjoying your site! Thanks a bunch!
Thanks so much for checking in, Sue! I’d love to hear how your baking goes after trying leaf lard. I have leaf lard shipped to me from Dietrich’s Meats in Pennsylvania.
I order mine from the same place. Great leaf lard. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your pie recipes! And even more than your pies, I enjoy your philosophy of being happy and spreading it around. 🙂 I got a tip from Cook’s Illustrated regarding tapioca that I think works really well. They suggest using a spare coffee grinder to grind the tapioca into powder. I picked up a spare at a garage sale for $2 and I like the results in pies very much. I usually cook my cherries with sugar and cornstarch on the stove but I’m glad to find a reliable recipe that puts them in the crust uncooked. Thanks. I live in Michigan. If you ever have a cooking class here, I would love to hear about it. I make pie and I think they’re good pies but I am nervous about the crust. I would so love to be able to feel when it has just the right amount of moisture! Eeeek. And how do you get it to stay together so well when flipping, moving and lattice–ing? I don’t know if I roll it too thin. Anyway, if you ever have a class here and if I can afford it, I would love to come. How many people do you require for a class and what is the cost? Have a wonderful day.
I don’t have plans presently to come to Michigan but one never knows where the path of pie will take me.
Where did you find her crust recipe?
Recipes are here Dawn. artofthepie.com/recipes
I used frozen cherries for a pie once, following a recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook, mixing the frozen cherries with the sugar, but my pie was so runny the cherries were swimming in the liquid. Do I need to heat the frozen cherries with the sugar first on the stove?
For success with frozen or fresh sour cherries, I use 2-3 tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca. The tapioca much reach a temperature that is high enough to see steady bubbling through the vents or lattice, or you will have a very juicy pie. I hope this helps and thanks for checking in!
I just found your website and am sure I will enjoy it. I’ve been making pies since I was
9 yrs old and am now 79. I enjoy baking pies more than cookies or cake. Looking forward to your newsletters .
First let me say, I made my first cherry pie using your recipe. Awesome!
Except…Any ideas on where I can get the tart or sour cherries? The stores around here have the frozen dark sweet cherries. I mixed those with canned tart, but the canned ones seem to get all mushy. I prefer fresh or frozen, but I don’t want to just use sweet if I can avoid it.
Next up, your pie crust recipe!
Thanks
I’ve seen frozen tart cherries at Costco fairly regularly. You might check there. Thanks for checking in and I’m glad you liked the recipe!
Your pie is memorable. Hubby has never forgotten this recipe. I had forgotten where I got the recipe and now I am bookmarking your site. I always have tapioca flour on hand for chinese dishes oike crispy shrimp. Can I use it instead of quick cooking tapioca measure for measure? ThThank you for sharing your gifts.
Thanks for checking in Connie. Yes, you can. Make sure you see those steady bubbles at the end of the bake time for the tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour) to have done it’s work. I’m glad you hubby liked it and that you found the recipe once again! Be Happy, Make Pie!
I made your Cherry Pie for Easter today. It was a hit and my first time at making it; it won’t be the last. Thank you for the recipe.
Gwen- I am so happy you made the cherry pie. Your note today absolutely made my day. I hope you and yours are happy and well. Kate
I am making your pie for a barter with my friend for 2 pints of his honey! Never have I made a cherry pie. Fingers are crossed! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ll be thinking of you Jenna! I hope it will turn out just like you hope. That’s a wonderful barter/trade, too!
Kate
Hi Kate! I made your cherry pie earlier today. It is a great recipe. As we ate your pie after supper, my husband kept saying how good it was. Thank you so much. You are an encouragement to pie-bakers everywhere! I am looking forward to your book. I do have a couple questions: 1. Part of my crust got a little too dark around the rim–do you put foil around it? 2. I forgot to fill my pie pan to only 1/2 inch below the rim and it did spill out over the edge and down the side on the inside making it harder to get the piece out. But if you fill it that low, do you pile it higher in the middle? After it cools it seems to be a little lower than when I put it in so wouldn’t it be too low after it cools if it is 1/2 inch below the rim? All of the pies in your pictures look just right, though! Thanks!
Hi Janet- Thank you for your kind words. I’m looking forward to holding a copy of the book in my hands, too! Now on to your questions:
1. I don’t put foil around the edges but when needed I tear a vent in the middle of a piece of foil and cover the entire pie with it while it finishes its bake.
2. I try to keep the pie pretty level all the way across. Yes, it will be lower after it bakes and cools.
P.S. I did not make the lattice top, just a regular pie crust on top. Not sure if that matters!
Shouldn’t make a difference. 🙂
Cherry pie is my favorite. I brought back pitted, frozen, sweetened cherries from Door Co and want to make a pie, Do I need to add any additional sugar? How much juice?
Thanks so much!
Hi Joyce- Take a look at the very first comment and you’ll see an answer to your question. 🙂
Question- I have frozen cherries (with their juice) in the freezer. I’m worried about a soupy pie. Should I thaw them and try to strain out the juice? Also- I only have cornstarch in the house, will that work? Thanks!
Defrosted frozen fruit makes a soupy. I use FROZEN cherries. Fill 1/2 inch approximately below the rim of the pie pan. If you can get to the store and buy either tapioca starch or quick cooking tapioca and use 3 Tablespoons of tapioca and then watch for the steady bubbling to be sure that the tapioca has done it’s job. Let cool so the pie can set up. I don’t use cornstarch for cherry pie as I think it is kinda gummy.
I made this pie a few years ago and it was a big hit! I used jarred Morelo cherries. I’ve also used the frozen from costco. I drained the juice (saved to drink, ha!) I had to find an open liquor store for the orange liquor on Thanksgiving last year, but alas there was one open…. 3 people inside at noon, I digress, It turned out beautiful and because I get nervous I add a bit of flower to the cherries along with the tapioca…. I don’t even attempt the lattice i just slice a few holes in the top. Thank you for sharing, it is a great recipe!
I’m so glad you like it Diane. It’s one of my favorite pies to make and share.
Thank you for sharing such a fabulous recipe. I make this pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas and it is always gone first. My family loves this pie.
What a wonderful holiday treat! I love this pie too!
Can whole tapioca be ground in a food processor? Why is it better than cornstarch?
I use quick cooking tapioca and have never ground whole tapioca. Cornstarch, unless well-cooked, leaves a distinctive taste.
Can not find the “like” on my mac. I give you two thumbs up!
Thank you so much John!! 🙂
This recipe is an absolute star! I was out of Cointreau so l threw in a slug of cherry brandy and it was to die for!! Thank you so much for your amazing teaching Kate, you are the best!!
Sincerely,
Josh
Josh- I am so glad you like it. This recipe has won a few ribbons, too. And thanks for the tip about the cherry brandy. I’ll give it a try too. Kate
I skype cook with my son occasionally on the weekends and this week we are going to try your cherry pie recipe. Wish me luck.
That sounds like a lot of fun! You’ll both do just great!! Kate
Any recommendations other than Costco to find sour/tarte cherries?!
Amanda- I am so disappointed that Costco has stopped carrying them. Do let them know that we want them back! In the meantime, if there is a Trader Joe’s in your area, they sell a canned Montmorency cherry that will work. Drain off the liquid before using.
Thank you! I’ll check there tomorrow! Appreciate the quick response.
You bet!
QFC in Sequim sells the frozen cherries
Good to know. Sunny Farms does, also.
Sterinos Produce in Puyallup, WA has frozen sour cherries!
That’s great news!
I made this recipe with sour cherries from Flathead Lake area, MT. I didn’t realize I didn’t need to thaw them first. Since I had thawed them, they were very juicy, so I drained the juice off to avoid a runny pie. ***NOTE: when using the tapioca to thicken, I waited about 20 minutes after adding it to the fruit, before adding it to pie shell and baking. The pie came out perfect, not runny and the tapioca was fully absorbed. (Waiting the 20 minutes will prevent you from having a crunchy pie where the tapioca doesn’t absorb! We learn from our pie baking mistakes!)
I’m so glad you had a good outcome. Yup, I don’t thaw fruit when using in pie because of that juice issue. Thanks for sharing the tip on letting the tapioca soften. That 15-20 minute wait is just the ticket to avoid crunchy pie. 🙂
But aren’t they going to thaw if you wait 15-20 minutes? I’m a little confused.
You don’t have to wait if you don’t want to.
This really is a very good pie recipe. If I ever have a chance to enter a pie contest I am going to use it (if you don’t mind). We have a cherry tree so I always have cherries in the freezer and it’s nice to find a recipe you can use with frozen fruit. The filling set up nice and I had some filling left over that I used for cherry popovers. Um, um, good! Thanks
Thanks for checking in, Debra. I am so glad that you like the recipe and may it bring you a ribbon, too! 🙂
just found your blog and love it! Cherry pie has always been my favorite hands down, so when I get a minute, that’s where I’m going to start.
My dad’s family has a sad/hilarious cherry-pie story: My paternal grandmother Irene made the most awesome Everything — but especially pies. As she got older it got harder for her to get to the store… but she kept right on making cherry pies for me. One Thanksgiving, Mom and I were the first ones to dig into the cherry pie. For some reason my fork didn’t want to go through my piece. Finally got a bite into my mouth, and my teeth bounced off it. Looked at Mom; she was having the same problem. Pretty soon the jokes were flying… “Goodyear cherry pie” is the one I remember best.
I think Grandma had been dumping the last of her old box of tapioca into her new box once it was opened, and had been doing it for quite a while. On this occasion, all she had left was the floury dregs at the bottom of the box, and she must have put more than the usual amount in to “compensate.”
The morals of this story: 1) More isn’t always better; 2) If your cherry pie comes out soupy, smile… because it could be worse.
Oh my gosh, Laura. I laughed so much when I read this. Thank you for a wonderful story with some great morals. I agree with both of them totally!