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Easy as (Cherry) Pie (Berkshire Eagle Column)

Well, it’s easy as long as you have a cherry pitter! When ripe summer fruit is available, I try to make pie fairly often, and my most recent Berkshire Eagle column celebrates this seasonal treat.

Sometimes I even make enough pie crust dough for several pies, and keep it in the freezer to streamline the process. On the other hand, refrigerated or frozen store-bought crusts are quite good, and there are even gluten-free pie crusts available! This recipe adapts well to other summer fruit, so enjoy while you can!

LIFE’S A BOWL OF CHERRIES…WATCH OUT FOR PITS!

by Elizabeth Baer

My first time in Grand Rapids, in fact my first time in Michigan, was entirely unplanned. My flight to Chicago landed there and waited for a while until severe thunderstorms over our destination had passed. To be honest, we weren’t allowed to leave the plane (and I think we may not have even taxied to a gate), so it’s a bit disingenuous to say I visited Grand Rapids then. Little did I know, however, that Grand Rapids, Michigan would soon figure so prominently in my life.

Now my son, daughter-in-law, grand-dog, and brand-new baby granddaughter have made their life in this growing city of western Michigan, and I’ve been been there many times in the past few years since they bought their house.

As we were driving out to meet the new little one a couple weeks ago, I commented to my husband that I wanted to bring back some cherries, a typical Michigan item, which means that he, of course, wanted a pie!

I’ll confess, once upon a time I was totally daunted by homemade pie. Then I was tasked with making an apple pie to sell for the soccer booster club. The woman leading the effort assured me I could just buy a refrigerated crust, and she handed me a slip of paper with a recipe for the filling. I had no idea how it turned out because it was sold, and I once again shied away from pie. And then my husband brought home two pints of blueberries thinking I could make him a blueberry pie.

Fast forward, and now I even make my own crust! But you need not do that, honestly. The refrigerated store-bought crusts are quite good and easy to use. Berries and cherries can be a challenge because of the liquid they release – and no one wants a soggy pie. Here, with cherries, I use mostly instant tapioca with a bit of corn starch to thicken the juice.

Traditionally, cherry pies have a lattice top. Supposedly that is to allow more moisture to escape, but making a lattice is a bit fussy and definitely time-consuming! The pie police will not come after you, even if you make a single crust cherry pie! For the pie I made with the cherries brought back from Michigan I was feeling kind of lazy, so with the extra dough I cut out some shapes and just arranged them on top of the filling. Still delicious!

CHERRY PIE

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

  • Single pie crust, store-bought or homemade (or two if you want to have a top crust, lattice or otherwise)

  • 2 pounds sweet cherries, about 6 cups

  • ¾ cup sugar, or more if needed

  • ¼ cup instant tapioca

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

Arrange whatever crust you are using into a standard (not deep-dish) pie plate. Place into the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Pit the cherries. I use a cherry pitter, though I’ve heard you can also use a straw. Even with the cherry pitter, sometimes it misses the mark and the pit remains, so either check each one, cut them in half, or warn your guests to be careful! Taste a cherry and decide whether you might want to increase the sugar if they are tart.

Place the pitted cherries in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well and let it sit for about 20 minutes. If you are going to make a lattice top crust, or just cut-outs, work on that while the cherry mixture is sitting.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and place on a foil-lined half sheet pan in case of leakage. Add the cherry mixture and arrange in an even layer. Top with the lattice (look online for a video) or cut-outs, if using.

Bake for 1 hour. The filling will still be somewhat liquid when warm, so allow to cool fully and thicken so as not to run when served.

My ColumnsElizabeth Baer