Cherry Berry Pie

By foodiva

Ingredients

• makes 1 double-crusted 9-inch pie
• pie ingredients
• Chilled, double pie crust dough (recipe follows)
• 2 About 2 pounds of fresh cherries, pitted (that's about 3 cups)
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of butter (for the crust's egg wash)
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (for sprinkling onto the crust)
• all-butter crust ingredients
• makes enough dough for one double-crust pie or two singles
• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces, 225 grams tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into bits (I placed the bits in a covered bowl and froze them overnight.)
• 1 about 1 cup i

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from unegaminedanslacuisine.com

Preparation

Step 1

method
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Scatter the cold butter bits over the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour just until the pieces of butter are pea-sized. (Don't worry if the dough looks shaggy. It's better not to over-mix.) Drizzle about 1/4 cup of ice water over the dough. Use a large rubber spatula to gather the dough together. Be gentle and don't mix...instead use folding motions to work the water into the dough until it comes together. You may need an additional 1/4 cup of ice water. (When adding more water, add by sprinkling Tablespoonfuls over the dough.) As soon as the spatula starts pulling up large clumps of dough, stop folding. Use you hands to gently knead the dough just until it's one cohesive clump.
Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. {Note: Well-wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days.}

When you're ready to bake
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Have an ungreased 9-inch pie on hand, ready to use.

Grab one of the chilled dough disks from the refrigerator. (If it's too hard to roll, let it rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes.) On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a circle that's about 12-inches 'round. Carefully place the circle of dough into the pie pan, making sure to center it properly. Trim the edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Lightly cover and place the pan in the refrigerator as you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, combine the cherries, strawberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and almond extract. Gently stir everything together, trying not to crush the berries as you go.

Retrieve the dough-filled pie pan from the refrigerator. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the filling into the crust (try to avoid scooping up too much juice). Lightly cover the filled pie as you prepare the *top crust.

*For the lattice crust, I used instructions found here, on Simply Recipes. I would love to explain how it's done myself, but Elise's directions are much better than anything I've ever read...plus she has photos!!

If you prefer a solid top crust: On the same floured surface that you just used, roll out the second dough disk into another 12-inch circle. Brush a little bit of the egg wash over the edges of the filled bottom crust. (This will make it sticky). Drape the top crust over the filling, and trim it, so that it has a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang over the bottom crust, pressing the edges to seal them tightly. Crimp, or fork-press the crust as desired. Brush the egg wash over the entire crust and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 slits into the crust.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. and bake the pie for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. {Note: If the edges are browning too fast, cover them lightly with foil or with a pie crust protector. Remove the pie from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.

Recipe adapted from smitten kitchen ♥
LABELS: BERRIES. PIE
+