Cherry-Vanilla Cream Pie

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These days, truly delicious sweet cherries — firm, deep red, and unbelievably sweet — are pretty commonly available at certain times of the year. And when that time arrives, we suggest trying this pie, an almond-scented custard studded with cherries, nestled in a buttery crust, and crowned with chantilly cream.

*Cherries can vary in size; begin with about 12 ounces (340g). Allow some extra for snacking. Sour or bing cherries will both work in this pie; a combination of the two is quite pretty.

Ingredients

• One single-crust pie crust recipe (such as our Classic Single Pie Crust)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups pitted, halved fresh cherries (See "tips", below.)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 93mins
Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

To prepare the crust: Roll the dough and fit it into a 9" pie pan, crimping the edges. Chill the crust for 15 minutes.

Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork or dough docker, and if possible, use a pie chain, pie weights or a nesting pan to line the crust.

Blind-bake the crust for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove it from the oven, remove the pie weights, and return to the oven for 3 more minutes, until the center of the crust no longer looks wet and is lightly browned. Remove it from the oven, and reduce the oven heat to 400°F.

To make the filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and salt.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the cherries, and whisk them well. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then whisk again to ensure the sugar dissolves.

Pour the filling into the crust, and sprinkle the cherries over the top. Some will sink — don't worry, they're supposed to.

Use a pie crust shield or aluminum foil to shield the top edge of the crust. Bake the pie for 40 minutes, until it's puffed and set in the center. The center should read 160°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer.

Remove from the oven and cool for at least 2 hours before topping with Chantilly Cream.

For the Chantilly cream: Whip the heavy cream with the confectioners' sugar to soft peaks. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spoon over the pie before serving.

Cover and refrigerate any uneaten pie for up to 5 days.