Mastering my pie skills has been on my list for awhile now, and I was recently on a mission to make a cherry pie. While checking out at the grocery store around the corner from my home, the bag of cherries made its way past the beeper and rang up at a cool $16. “Is that right?,” I asked. After the requisite “I could get fired for this, but…” preface, the familiar-faced woman at the checkout confided in me that the high in-demand summer fruit has a significantly cheaper price per pound at another grocery store (starts with W ends with an -oods). In that moment I was both surprised by her candor and pumped that by this news. It was also one of those affirming "ah-yes-I'm-a-local" moments since this month marks my fifth month in Williamsburg. And to think it was over a bag of cherries – not mad about it one bit.
Now on to this pie: There’s this myth that only sour cherries are good for the purpose of pies. Yes, there's a tartness that comes with sour cherries, but sweet cherries do the trick and they couple nicely with strawberries (or rhubarb!).
I was having a hard time fine-tuning my pie crust making skills and coming to the realization that my crust would never look picture-perfect...more like perfectly imperfect. I’d try one and it would burn too quickly (even when tented with foil) while another didn’t come together quite right in the food processor. I finally found the right one. It’s buttery, flaky and comes together the old-fashioned way...with my hands. I definitely plan on using this recipe from here on out for galettes and more. One thing I’ve learned though: Always keep the crust cold. Which can be a challenge in August, but keeping it cold in the refrigerator is key.
Sweet Cherry + Strawberry Pie
INGREDIENTS
For the crust from Bon Appetit:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the filling:
3 cups red cherries, pitted
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Add the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Scatter butter into flour mixture to evenly coat. Work quickly using your fingers to rub butter into flour to make large, shaggy pieces of dough. Smash the butter into the flour, creating some pieces that are flat and thin and some that are large and chunky.
Combine vinegar and 3 tablespoons of ice water in a small bowl and drizzle over flour mixture, running your fingers through the flour as you drizzle to evenly distribute. Knead dough in the bowl until it starts to come together. It will still look a little dry.
Dump contents onto a clean work surface and knead 1 or 2 more times, pressing to incorporate shaggy edges. Gather into a ball, divide dough into 2 pieces and press into about 1"-thick disks. Wrap with plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle and place it into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out the other piece of dough as well. Place both roll outs in the fridge while you prepare the pie filling.
Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss to combine. Take pie crusts out of the refrigerate. Spoon filling into the pie plate, leaving excess juice in the bowl. Then cut the second crust into 1 1/2 to 2-inch strips and weave into a diagonal lines across the top (or try a lattice top). Gently brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg.
Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until crust is deep golden brown on top and bottom and juices are bubbling, about 1 ½ hours. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let sit at least 4 hours before slicing.