This classic sour cherry pie puckers the mouth and keeps guests coming back for more. A gluten-free crust option is included.
Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she bake a cherry pie, charming Billy?
Yes, she can bake a cherry pie, she’s the apple of my eye,
But she’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
That old nursery rhyme has been in my head, so I had to bake a cherry pie today. Baking one felt like a small rite of passage—fortunately my husband didn’t require it before we married—but now I can say I make a very good cherry pie.
My Evans cherry trees are heavy with small, ruby-red sour cherries. Late-season fruit tends to be sweeter than earlier fruit, even for sour cherries, and they make a bright, flavorful filling.
Picking a pailful takes only minutes, and pitting them can be quick and simple with the right technique.
For an especially memorable pie, add a splash of sour cherry brandy made from a previous harvest. If you don’t have brandy, a fruit liqueur or even apple juice works well and still produces a delicious result.
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Notes: Substitute another fruit liqueur such as crème de cassis or raspberry liqueur, or use apple juice if you prefer. For the shortening called for in the crust, part butter may be used for added flavor.
Evans Cherry Pie
- 1 quantity of pie dough for a double-crust pie (use your favorite pastry recipe or the regular and gluten-free recipes below)
- 4 cups (about 675 g) pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) natural evaporated cane sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 7 tablespoons (50 g) tapioca starch or 5 tablespoons (50 g) minute tapioca
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ¼ cup cherry brandy, other fruit liqueur, or apple juice
Roll out half the pastry and line a 9 to 9½-inch (23–24 cm) pie plate. Refrigerate the lined dish while you roll the top crust and prepare the filling. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Roll the top crust (between parchment if using the gluten-free pastry). Cut six or seven small, cherry-sized holes in the top crust with a bottle cap or small cutter and remove the dough from those holes with the tip of a knife.
Place pitted cherries and any accumulated juice in a bowl. Add sugar, salt, and tapioca starch and toss gently until evenly coated. Sprinkle in the almond extract and the brandy, liqueur, or apple juice and toss again to combine.
Pour the cherry filling into the chilled bottom crust. Carefully place the top crust over the filling and press the edges together to seal. Trim the excess dough and flute the rim with your fingers for a scalloped edge.
Set the pie on a baking tray to catch any overflow. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F and continue baking 45–50 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling bubbles through the holes. Cool completely before slicing into 6–8 wedges.
Regular Pastry for Pie Crust
Adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1980). For a 9-inch two-crust pie:
- 2½ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup lard or shortening (or part butter)
- 6–7 tablespoons ice-cold water
Combine flour and salt. Cut in the fat until pea-sized clumps remain. Add 5 tablespoons of water, stir with a fork, and add 1–2 more tablespoons as needed until the dough can be pressed into a rough ball. Knead lightly a couple of times. Divide into two disks, one slightly larger for the bottom crust. Wrap and refrigerate 30–60 minutes (or overnight). Roll out the dough to a round about 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than the pie plate, transfer to the plate, and ease down the sides. Roll out the top crust about ½ inch (1.3 cm) larger than the plate, cut vents, and place over the filled bottom crust. Trim, seal, and flute the edges.
Gluten Free Pastry for Pie Crust
Tip: Prepare multiple batches of the dry mix, seal in labeled bags, and freeze so you can make a crust quickly when needed. This recipe is adapted from an earlier pastry and aims to be easy to work with.
- 1 cup (100 g) oat flour
- ½ cup (70 g) sweet rice flour
- ½ cup (60 g) tapioca flour/starch
- ¼ cup (40 g) potato starch (not flour)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) psyllium husk powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) cold lard or shortening (or part butter)
- 1 large egg or chia egg (1 Tbsp ground chia + 3 Tbsp water, soaked 5 minutes)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2–3 tablespoons cold water
Combine dry ingredients in a food processor or bowl. Add diced fat and pulse briefly or cut it in until pea-sized clumps remain. Add the egg, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water; pulse or stir until the dough holds when squeezed. Add up to 1 more tablespoon water if needed. Lightly knead to incorporate, divide into two disks, wrap tightly, and freeze 30 minutes or refrigerate an hour. Dough will keep refrigerated up to 3 days.
Roll each crust between two sheets of parchment, working from the center outward. Use a corner of the top parchment tucked against the counter to stabilize the sheets as you roll. Invert the pastry (on the bottom parchment) into the pie dish and peel away the paper. Chill the bottom shell 15–30 minutes before filling. Repeat for the top crust, cut vents, invert onto the filling, remove the remaining parchment, trim, and flute.
Guten Appetit!
You might also like:
How to Pit Evans Cherries
Brandied Evans Cherries
No-Bake Cherry Coconut Bars – A Delightful Use for Evans Cherries
Gingered Pear Tarts and Gluten Free Pastry Recipe