The Perfect Cherry Pie

Posted by Jeff Carter
on August 4th, 2012

It’s cherry pie season. One of the best things about summer is the fresh fruit you can find at farmer’s markets around the country. I will go to my local farmers market today and peruse what they have. The vegetables aren’t any better for you in terms of nutrition, but they sure taste A LOT better.

My wife makes a lot of pies, and she is excellent at it. The secret is in the crust. We use leaf lard, and vodka in the crust.

There is a little prep. First, you need to get unsalted butter and slice it up. But keep it in the fridge so it stays cold. Same with the leaf lard. The liquids you use should also be kept in the fridge. The better the butter, the better the crust tastes. Generally we make a double crust, meaning there is a bottom crust and a top crust. You will have some dough leftover.

The reason you use leaf lard and vodka is science. Vodka replacing water changes the chemistry. The gluten strands of the flour don’t harden. The reason for leaf lard is that it melts at a different temperature than the butter. Because they melt at different temps, the crust will get flakier. Leaf lard is the pastry chef’s secret. It also gives a different flavor to the crust. It tastes better to me. Don’t substitute Crisco or shortening. That’s just partially hydrogenated crap. Leaf lard is good for you.

Here it is. You might have to cut it in half depending on the size of your food processor.

For one 9 inch Double Crust Pie; for a single crust pie, cut in half.

2.5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of table salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
12 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter
.5 cup of leaf lard
4 tablespoons vodka (cold)
4 tablespoons cold water

Process the flour salt and sugar together in a food processor until combined. Takes about 2 one second pulses. Add the butter and shortening, and process until the dough resembles cottage cheese curds. Scrape down the bowl, and redistribute evenly around processor blade. Add remaining .5 cup of flour, and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed and mass of dough has broken up. 4-6 pulses. Empty into bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over dough mixture. With rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix. Dough should be slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten the dough into two four inch diameter disks. Wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 45 minutes, and up to two days.

Now it’s time to bake one disc, or two if you are making two pies. Adjust rack in your oven the lowest position. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from reefer and roll it out on a generously floured work surface. It’s important that surface not be hot. Roll it with a rolling pin into a circle, and ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Trim overhang to .5 inch beyond the lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with the edge of the pie plate. Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against the rim of pie plate. Refrigerate dough lined plate 15 minutes.

Remove pie pan from reefer, line crust with foil. Fill it with pie plates. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate and bake for 5-10 minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

Then fill the pie.

For the filling we use fresh cherries.

6 cups of fresh or frozen tart pie cherries
.75 cups of sugar, or subtract or add sugar to taste. Less sugar, tarter pie.
.25 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter, softened
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
.25 teaspoon of almond extract
3 tablespoons tapioca

If you don’t like almond extract, you can add lots of things. Some people add vanilla beans, or cinna some a dash of a liqueur.

Put everything in a bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. While it sits, roll out your other pie crust you will use for the top.

Toss cherries well again, then add to shell and cover with top crust. Take extra top crust and press edges of together, then trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang underneath, then crimp decoratively and brush top crust with milk. Cut out 5 (1- by 1/2-inch) teardrop-shaped steam vents 1 inch from center and sprinkle with sugar (1 tablespoon).

Bake pie on preheated baking sheet 30 minutes, then cover edge with a pie shield or foil and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour more. Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely, 3 to 4 hours.

Then, all you have to do is eat it. Won’t take long. Pies rarely last more than one day in our house.

tip of the hat to an old friend, Ginny, who inspired this particular blog post.

The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.