Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Sweet Cherry Pie


There are few things greater than fresh ripe fruit in my book. Whether it's a soft peach in the summer or a crisp apple in the fall, there's nothing like that first bite of juicy goodness.

 Now, we all know I'm a huge chocoholic, but sometimes, I'd even prefer fruit based recipe. Shocking, I know. After dabbling a little in blueberries, I've been ready to expand my expertise, and what better way to expand than jump right in?

Well, I told you I was in Philly this weekend for the 4th. That's a bit of a white lie. I was in Rutledge, a nearby suberb. Rutledge is home to one of my favorite indulgent establishments, Nifty Fifties, where I always manage to drink a 32 oz milkshake. No joke. It's foul. And wonderful, all at the same time.

Another dessert worthy of acknowledgement in the Rut is this wonderful New York style cheesecake with the cherry topping. Oh my goodness. I wasn't even a cherry fan when I tried it but it was to die for.
This being said, I figured for the fourth's festivities, I would try to make a mock version.

 Alex advised me to check with his dad, who made the final decision that he instead wanted cherry pie. To me, this seemed the most difficult. It involved pitting two pounds of cherries, where the cheesecake used a pie filling. Nonetheless, I took on the challenge, and was oh-so-happy I did. So was Alex's family.
Sweet Cherry Pie
What ya need:
2 pounds sour cherries, pitted
1 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Pie Crust (enough for two pies)
What ya do:
1. Make the pie crust recipe of your choice OR use a premade one. Roll out top crust and set aside. Pit all of your cherries. Or, do like me and recruit your significant other to do it for you. This process is a whole lot easier with a cherry pitter. In fact, don't do it without.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a saucepan, combine cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the juices thicken and become translucent. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Mix thoroughly and pour into pie shell. Cover top with lattice crust, or a full crust with slits to ventilate.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
Look what you can do with leftover crust! I got bored.
Serve this baby with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or nothing, if you're a purist. You'll be happy you tried it!!

9 comments:

Lauren said...

Honestly, I need to get involved here. There was a point when pie and ice cream was the best breakfast ever. Sometimes, I wish I didn't know that was a terrible way to to start my day, because I'm pretty sure it's the best thing ever.

Le said...

This looks so yummy! I could eat this all day.

Rick said...

That looks nice and gooey! Which is a good thing.

Anonymous said...

Your pie turned out fantastic! I love fresh fruit desserts :)

Drick said...

what a great looking pie... cherry pie is a little tart for me, but this sounds pretty darn good... esp with the ice cream...

Monet said...

I am all about the fruit desserts, and especially during berry season! What a wonderful pie and I loved what you did with the leftover dough...too cute! I like to sprinkle my extra dough with cinnamon and sugar and then bake it until golden brown. A little pre-pie treat!

The Housewife said...

Your pie looks so yumm… I would love a piece! And the latticed dough looks perfect…hats off to you!

Magic of Spice said...

Love the left over crust idea:) And so love your pie!

Unknown said...

Have you ever made strawberry rhubarb pie? I've been craving that, and philly pretzels. Can't find those in Iceland!