Michigan Sour Cherry Pie

This post should probably actually be called-  Michigan Sour Cherry Pie: In which Sarah invents a new form of Gastro-tourism.

I call it, Gastridiculousness.

Let me begin the tale…

I was on a rampage to acquire sour cherries while in Michigan.  And, lo! acquire said cherries, I did.

But not without significant challenges that weaker human may have interpreted as barriers.. which included, driving 1 hour to a literal cherry farm, being told that the farm doesn’t actually sell pre-picked sour cherries and we would need to PICK our own… [Interlude where everyone visualizes the awkwardness that is Dave and I, hanging out on a farm, picking cherries]… and then not having time to create aforementioned pie in Michigan because we need to catch a flight home, thus putting all trust and hope in TSA agents to not confiscate or crush my cherries, and journeying back to California with Michigan cherries in tow.

I refused to be deterred!

It was a (surprisingly) successful endeavor, and one in which I realized that I am actually an insane person and Dave is the most patient of enablers.
Fortunately we made it back to California without any cherry stains on my luggage, which is always a cause for celebration.

So let’s make a pie about it, shall we?One of my problems (or cute quirks, depending on your perspective) when I cook is that I have severe difficulties following a recipe.  Don’t get me wrong, I love recipes, love to look at them, read them, and analyze them.  But when I start cooking, all bets are off and I will guarantee you that I will somehow tweak that thing until it becomes “my” recipe.  ALL MINE!

With that being said I hope this next statement is made all the more profound: this recipe is entirely unadulterated by me.
That’s because it is so so SO good.  I pilfered this recipe from Epicurious.com, always a trusted resource, though it was originally published in the Bon Appetit 2008 magazine.  And people, trust me, you will never need another cherry pie recipe again.The all-butter crust is phenomenal, and so crisp, yet tender.. sweet, yet salty.  And all loaded up with the most amazing sour cherry filling your mouth ever did taste.  

Yes, surprisingly, despite the purple-ish-ness of the photos, these cherries were actually sour cherries. They just “ripened” a bit in the cross-contintental transport process. I guess that’s why no stores sell them, because they will literally go bad in less than 1 week.

Fortunately the flavor was phenomenal and perfectly tart despite the rough handling.So if you’re ever game for an adventure and in Northern Michigan in July… check out Rennie Orchards.  They sell the cherries featured in this post.  And despite my hesitations about picking your own cherries, it was surprisingly easy and actually really fun!

But for best results: Make/ eat your pie in the place the produce was grown. 

Michigan Cherry Pie

Adapted from Bon Appetit via Epicurious

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Ingredients

  

• For the crust:
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chilled butter cut into ½ inch cubes
• 5-6 tablespoons ice water
• For the filling:
• 5 cups pitted sour cherries if using frozen, bring to room temperature before baking
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter
• For garnishing:
• About 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

 

• To make crust:
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter; cut butter into flour using a pastry blender. Blend until butter is approximately the size of small peas.
• Gradually pour ice water into mixture, using a fork to stir until just combined. Start with 5 tablespoons and add up to 6 tablespoons as needed for dough to come together.
• Pull dough together with hands, and form into 2 evenly sized discs; place these in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate dough for 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• To prepare filling:
• Combine pitted cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
• Set aside.
• To assemble and bake:
• Position rack in lower 1/3 of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to warm slightly until workable. Roll out dough on a floured surface until it is approximately 13 inches in diameter, or large enough to fit into 9-inch glass pie dish. Transfer dough to pie dish; keep overhang for now.
• Fill unbaked shell with cherry filling and dot with remaining butter.
• Roll out second disc, approximately 13 inches in diameter. May use as is and cover pie, or cut into approximately 1-inch strips to create lattice design. (If not using lattice design, make sure to cut ventilation slices in your top crust).
• Using a knife, cut off excess dough overhang to about ½ inch. Fold edges over and use fork or fingers to crimp the edges.
• Brush top of pie (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 45-55 minutes or until pie is golden brown.
• Cool completely before serving.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.