Homemade Cherry Pie recipe

Fresh cherries have a short season, so a fresh Cherry Pie is very special. 

Most baker type people will be making their cherry pie hoping they might be able to make another before the season ends.

Cherries are such a good source of so many things, you can feel confident that something that tastes this good has some good in it for you!

Life is just a bowl of cherries, written by Ray Henderson and Lew Brown

Recorded by many artists.  Ethel Merman, Judy Garland and put on the pop charts in 1954 by Jaye P. Morgan (Gong Show panelist). 

Life is just a bowl of cherries

Don’t take it serious; it’s too mysterious

You work, you save, you worry so

But you can’t take your dough when you go, go, go.

I did not use the song at the end of the video, but you can imagine it.

I remember picking cherries when I would visit my grandparents.  I remember doing it often, but I think we only did it a few times, if that.  But it was fun.

They lived near Niagara Falls, along the Niagara fruit belt where the soil is mostly sand and clay.  Good for stone fruit like peaches, plums and cherries. 

Grapes like it here too and this is where almost all of Canada’s Ice Wine comes from, some of the world’s best.

Cherries are so delicious just as they are it is easy to forget how wonderful they are cooked into something, releasing their sweet and sometimes tart juice and intense flavours. 

But why bother cooking them?  Well, Cherry Pie, for one thing, and if you get a late crop they may have lost their sweetness if overripe, so adding a bit of sugar and baking them in pastry or a versatile Cherry Sauce is a good way to use them.

Be sure to put a baking tray under your pie because the juices may bubble over.  The pie is not finished until the filling is bubbling even a little bit, so you know that whatever thickener you are using has fully cooked, if not, you may have a runny fruit pie.

You can use those eating type cherries, like Bing, for cooking or use sour cherries, or a combination of the two. 

Pitting the cherries takes a bit of time, but after that it comes together very quickly. Put on some music, get a pitting companion or put on headphones or speaker phone and call that person you’ve been meaning to talk to.

You do not need a cherry pitter, you can just cut them in half and take the seed out. 

Food grade gloves are helpful to avoid staining your hands, or quickly wash your hands.  If you are using the smaller sour cherries, you won’t have this problem because they are not red inside.

There is less splattering when you cut them in half and it takes the same time as using a cherry pitter would so either is fine.

Do not wear light solid colours and do not lose track of any pits!

Sweeter Bing Cherries are deep red inside

This Cherry Pie recipe uses quick cooking tapioca to thicken the filling instead of cornstarch. Quick cooking tapioca is little granules, like coarse pickling salt, not the big boba balls.

Using tapioca will give you more of a clear silky filling instead of a starchy filling that works fine with some fruit, but less with others. Tapioca can be substituted in most pies, but let the filling rest before filling the crust so the tapioca softens for at least half an hour. Cornstarch works, but when the tapioca is allowed to rest and soften the end result glistens. 

*You have to let the filling ingredients sit long enough for the tapioca to soften, or it won’t cook properly and instead of thickening your cherry juices, you will have little hard bits of tapioca.

Nutrition

Cherries are a good source of fibre and many vitamins potassium, folic acid and vitamin A.

They are a known source of antioxidants which reduce cell damage caused by free radicals.  Also anthocyanins, found in other dark pigmented produce like red cabbage, cranberries and other berries and are known to lower blood pressure and have anti-inflammatory properties.  Montmorency or Sour cherries, or tart cherries are smaller and often difficult to find.  They are softer and more expensive, especially organic, but for a treat like this, may be worth it.

Smaller Sour Cherries and Bing Cherries

How to Make Fresh Cherry Pie

Pie Crust Ingredients

Cherry Pie Filling Ingredients

Pie Crust

1. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl or food processor.

2. Add the cold butter or butter and coconut oil. Cut in with a pastry cutter or pulse a few times if using a food processor, until it is crumbly.

3. Dot in the sour cream, or pour in the water and vinegar and process or stir just until it comes together.

4. Divide the dough in half.

5. Form 2 disks and wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour.  This allows the glutens to relax and make the dough easier to roll.

In the meantime, prepare the filling.

Cherry Pie Filling

1. Combine the sugar, tapioca, salt, lemon juice and vanilla, if using.

2. Fold in the pitted cherries and let sit for at least half an hour.

This is important for the tapioca to soften.

Assembly

1. In the meantime, roll out one disk and place in a deep dish 9”(23cm) pie pan.

The pie crust dough is probably hard after being refrigerated, especially if you have used half solid at room temperature, coconut oil.  If you just go in and try to roll it, it will crack a lot on the outside.  Hit it to start flattening it, that will make the dough a bit more pliable rather than wait too long for it to warm up a bit, then try rolling.

Make sure that you roll the dough large enough to fit into the pan with a little overhang. 

2. Roll the dough up over the rolling pin and unroll it over the pan to fit.

3. Mix the filling once more before pouring it into the crust.   

4. Dot the filling with the 2 Tbsps of cut up butter.

5. Roll the other disk, and make cuts or slits in before covering the pie with it.  This allows steam to escape and decreases the chance of juice to seep between the crusts. It will probably bubble over, so bake the pie on a baking sheet.

I lightly mark the crust to evenly cut shapes in the top.  You can also just make a few slits like this “<<<” in the top.

6. Fold under the crust and pinch to seal it, going around, and flute the edge or press with a fork to give it an edge.

7. Refrigerate for another half hour.  Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

8. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

9. Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 10-15 mins.

Lower the heat to 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes.

Lower the heat once more to 325°F (165°C) for the filling to cook for 30 minutes.  

Make sure the pie filling is bubbling.

Cool completely before cutting.