american pie

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Cherry Pie

My many subscriptions to food magazines are supposed to keep me up to date on the latest food trends and recipes. The problem is I can’t always find the time to read them all. But the photo of a sour cherry pie on the June cover of Bon Appétit certainly grabbed my attention: it screamed, “bake me!” Easier said than done. Sour cherries are not easy to find around here. Fresh sweet cherries, however, make a very suitable substitute—they’re dark, syrupy and worthy of their own showcase. Encased in a flaky crust made with nutty almond flour, these juicy jewels are baked till they’re bursting with flavor. Beautiful to look at, sumptuous to eat, this surprisingly easy pie is a total wow.

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You’ll want to make this pie all summer long for every backyard barbecue or poolside party. The pie dough comes together quickly in a food processor and can be made in advance. Add flour, almond flour, sugar and kosher salt to the bowl of your processor and pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse again until mixture looks pebbly.

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In a small bowl mix together egg yolks and 1/4 cup ice water. Drizzle over flour mixture and pulse to incorporate. If needed, drizzle over more ice water until dough comes together into a ball.

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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute until soft. Divide in half, form two halves into balls and then flatten into disks. Wrap disks in plastic and refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to two days. Dough can also be frozen for up to a month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

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If you’re lucky enough to find frozen cherries that are already pitted, you’ll save this extra step. If not, do yourself a favor and invest in a cherry pitter—you can find one at any housewares store for about $10 to $15. It will make this chore a little more agreeable and will also come in handy when you need to pit olives for other dishes.

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The original recipe for this pie calls for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch but it was woefully inadequate in my pie—the cherry juices were overflowing! If you prefer a thicker filling, add 5 to 6 tablespoons of cornstarch instead. In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch, sugar and kosher salt.

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Add pitted cherries to the bowl and toss with lemon juice to balance the sweetness with some tart. Set aside.

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Let chilled dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or so to soften.

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On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first dough to a 12 inch diameter (turn a quarter turn between each roll to achieve a round).

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Lift and carefully line a 9″ pie plate with dough, letting excess overhang edge. Use your knuckle to gently nudge dough into corner of the plate. Roll out second dough to a 12 inch diameter. To vent the pie, use a cookie cutter, pastry tip or apple corer (as I did) to cut out holes in center of top crust in concentric circles, leaving the edges solid.

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Fill the dough in the pie plate with the cherries and their juices. Dot with bits of butter.

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Top pie with vented crust. Using a knife or kitchen shears, trim excess dough. Fold top crust under edge of bottom crust, then crimp edge using your fingers to pinch the dough together.

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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make an egg wash by beating together egg with a drop of water; brush all over top crust. Sprinkle with Demerara or raw sugar. Chill for 20 minutes.

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Put pie plate on foil or parchment lined baking sheet and place in oven to bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and turn baking sheet to allow crust to brown evenly. Continue baking for 50 to 60 minutes; cover with a foil tent if crust is browning too quickly. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling.

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Place pie on a wire rack and cool completely. Serve with vanilla bean gelato or ice cream.

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Adapted from bon appétit
Serves 8 to 10:

Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into bits and chilled
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:

3 pounds (or 6 cups) fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted
5 to 6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

flour for dusting
large egg for egg wash
Demerara or raw sugar for garnish

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