Sour Cherry Pie
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Halved sour cherries are tossed with sugar and cornstarch until the juices thicken, then baked between two layers of buttery pastry until the crust is deep gold and the filling bubbles all the way through. The sharp fruit keeps the pie from tasting one-note sweet, which is the whole point of using sour cherries.
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Method
- 1
Make the dough. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor, or whisk them in a bowl. Add the cold butter and pulse, or rub it in, until the biggest pieces are pea-sized. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together. Turn it out, divide in half, pat each half into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- 2
Shape the crusts. Roll one disk out and ease it into the pie plate, trimming the overhang, then chill. Roll the second disk into a round, or into strips for a lattice, on a floured sheet pan and chill that too.
- 3
Mix the filling. Toss the cherries with the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again until the cornstarch is fully hydrated with no dry lumps, then let sit for 5 minutes more.
- 4
Fill and top. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Pour the cherry filling into the chilled bottom crust. Lay the top crust over the filling, whole, vented or woven into a lattice, and crimp the edges to seal. Chill the shaped pie for 20 minutes.
- 5
Bake. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pie halfway through, then lower the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan) and bake for about 30 minutes more, rotating again, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling throughout. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Storage
Cool completely, then store loosely covered at room temperature for up to a day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Free sugars
27.9 g per serving
55.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 111.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- food processor
- rolling pin
- 23 cm pie plate
- plastic wrap
- baking sheet
- mixing bowl
- pastry brush
- wire rack
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 582 kcal |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 87 g |
| of which sugars | 42.4 g |
| of which free sugars | 27.9 g |
| Fat | 24.3 g |
| of which saturates | 14.6 g |
| Fibre | 3.9 g |
| Salt | 0.76 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
