Name: Creamy Cherry Pie. Original Recipe of the American Cherry Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Yield: 8 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4.5 cups all-purpose flour; 3 tbsps granulated sugar; 2 tsps fine salt; 18 oz quality butter (very cold); 1/4 cup water (very cold); 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (very cold (you can substitute the same weight with water or regular vinegar)); 2.2 lbs cherries; 1.5 cups brown sugar (I use Demerara); 2 oz butter (for the filling); 1.5 oz butter (for brushing the pie surface); 1/4 cup cornstarch (or potato starch); 3/4 tsp fine salt; 1 tsp lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons); lemon zest (1 large lemon)

Creamy Cherry Pie. American Cherry Pie

This is one of my absolute favorite pies! The delicious summer version of the American apple pie, with cherries instead of apples. The crust is made with the pie crust, the typical flaky and buttery American shortcrust pastry that melts in your mouth, while the cherry filling is creamy and almost caramelized due to the cornstarch, but also thanks to some secrets that I will explain below:

The secrets to getting a perfect Cherry pie are 3:

1) the pie crust, typically American shortcrust pastry, used as the base for many pies, especially apple cobblers;

2) letting the cherry filling rest for at least an hour to draw out all the juice;

3) extended baking of the pie (3 hours) in the oven, allowing the cherries to slowly caramelize inside.

It is an egg-free dessert.

If you want to learn more, read my “Perfect Apple pie” recipe.

Creamy Cherry Pie Ingredients

4.5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsps granulated sugar
2 tsps fine salt
18 oz quality butter (very cold)
1/4 cup water (very cold)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (very cold (you can substitute the same weight with water or regular vinegar))
2.2 lbs cherries
1.5 cups brown sugar (I use Demerara)
2 oz butter (for the filling)
1.5 oz butter (for brushing the pie surface)
1/4 cup cornstarch (or potato starch)
3/4 tsp fine salt
1 tsp lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons)
lemon zest (1 large lemon)

Tools

Cutting Board with two side trays that also go in the oven
Cherry Pitter for cherries
Stand Mixer Kenwood with 1400 W of power, illuminated bowl
Rolling Pin
Pan round non-stick

Steps for the Creamy Cherry Pie

The recipe is for a springform pan about 10 inches in diameter.
Take a bowl and cut the butter into very small pieces (7-8 mm), then place in the refrigerator for about an hour.
After an hour, add the flour, salt, and sugar to the stand mixer or food processor (in summer, it’s better to work the dough in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment rather than in a mixer) and mix quickly, also adding the cold butter, working the dough intermittently until it has a crumbly consistency.
Add the ice-cold vinegar and water to the dough (if necessary, add ice cubes and then take the right amount of water).
If you don’t add the vinegar, add the same amount of water, BUT the vinegar is important to give elasticity to the dough and don’t worry, it won’t leave any odor or taste.
Add the liquids to the mixer, one tablespoon at a time, and briefly work the dough until everything is combined. Once you have a crumbly dough, remove it from the mixer and briefly work it by hand to compact everything.
If the dough is still crumbly, you can add a little more cold water.
Once the dough is combined, remove it from the mixer. N.B.: there MUST be white spots of butter left in the dough; that’s how it should be! (the crust will then be very flaky).
It’s best to keep the ready dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes in summer, or you can also prepare it in advance and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Wash and pit the cherries in a bowl (you will get about 1.5 lbs), cut them in half and add the brown sugar, lemon juice, salt, grated zest of a lemon, and cornstarch (or potato starch) and let it rest for at least an hour, the cherries need to release their juice, they will release quite a bit, BUT do not discard it, it will be used to cook the filling during the 3-hour baking in the oven, and this is one of the secrets to making it creamy and semi-caramelized.
Butter and flour a round pan, about 10 inches in diameter.
Melt 1.5 oz of butter in a double boiler (you’ll need it to brush the surface of the pie).
Meanwhile, as the butter melts, divide the dough into two parts, the larger part for the base, the other for covering the cherries.
With the rolling pin, roll out the dough of the first disk on a well-floured surface until you have a thickness of about 1/8-1/4 inch.
Line the previously buttered pan well with the first pastry disk (no flour), pierce the bottom with a fork, pour the cherry mixture in the center to form a dome, add all the liquid formed during resting (it will absorb during the 3 hours of cooking) and sprinkle the cherries with 2 oz of cold butter in small pieces. Cover the filling with the remaining shortcrust pastry.
N.B.: since Cherry pie is prepared in the summer with the heat and the pie crust is very buttery, it may be necessary to keep the pastry of the second disk in the fridge while rolling out the first.
To achieve the typical wavy edge of the pie, pinch the edge between your thumb and forefinger as if to give small pinches.
Brush the surface well with the previously melted 1.5 oz of butter and make a cut in the center or make small holes on the surface, so that steam can escape during cooking (see photo above).
Finally, sprinkle the crust with plenty of brown sugar.
Preheat the oven to 320°F, then when you put the dessert in, lower the temperature to 300°F and bake the Cherry pie for about 3 hours.
Gently unmold the cake and serve it cold accompanied by semi-whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional).
Cherry pie keeps at room temperature for 1 day, then in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can replace the cherries with strawberries, and the procedure remains the same.