Festive Tart Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie is my husband’s favorite, but I’ve never been a big fruit pie fan until now. I took a good simple recipe, cleaned it up with good quality, organic ingredients and added my own little twists.

I used organic tart cherries instead of sweet cherries and I think it gave the pie the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The addition of almond extract and a little Grand Marnier are really the key here as they add that je ne sais quoi that will have your guests asking for your recipe.

My husband said it was the best cherry pie he’s ever had, and if I do say so myself, it’s absolutely delicious! I made this for Thanksgiving and it will be my decadent treat of choice this Christmas for sure. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Bon apetit.

Bon apetit and Joyeux Noël!

Makes one 10” Pie

Ingredients For the Filling:

• 3/4 cup Organic Sugar, Granulated

• 1/4 cup Organic Arrowroot or Cornstarch

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 4 1/2 cups) frozen Organic Tart Cherries

• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1-2 tsp Almond Extract

• 2 tsp Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

• 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

For the Pie Crust:

Full disclosure - I am still perfecting my gluten and dairy-free pie crust recipe, so in the meantime I recommend this recipe from Gluten Free On a Shoestring. And if you’re here in Seattle, Flying Apron Bakery makes both sweet and savory gluten-free, vegan pie crusts that are fantastic. They are available at Flying Apron in Fremont or West Seattle (call first because they sell out!) and in PCC Community Markets.

For the Egg Wash:

Don’t skip this step! Brushing your pie crust with egg wash will prevent the crust from getting soggy and will also give the top and edges a lovely sheen.

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon water

Directions:

1. Make the Filling:

   • In a large saucepan, mix together the arrowroot/cornstarch until well blended. Then add the cherries, almond extract, vanilla, and salt and toss until well coated with the sugar-arrowroot mixture.

   • Cook over medium-high heat until the cherries get juicy and the mixture begins to simmer and thicken slightly, about 10-12 minutes.

   • Once the cherries have reached your desired thickness (they should be thick and syrupy but not gloppy), remove from the heat to cool slightly and stir in the Grand Marnier.

   • If making your filling ahead, refrigerate or freeze it in an airtight container until ready to use.

2. Prepare the pie shell: 

   • Preheat your oven to 375°F and place a sheet pan on the middle rack.

   • If you’ve made your pie crust dough from scratch, roll it out to less than 1/4” and transfer it to a 9-inch standard pie pan or dish. Reserve the remaining dough to create lattice strips for the top of the pie. You may need to chill this dough for a few minutes to firm it up a little.

   • Press the dough into the bottom and along the sides of the pie plate, being careful not to puncture the dough.

   • Make your egg wash by whisking the egg and water together in a small bowl.

   • Brush the inside of the pie crust with a thin layer of the egg wash and reserve the rest for brushing the top crust.

   • Pour the cooled cherry filling into the crust.

3. Make the lattice top crust: 

   • Unroll the second pie dough and lightly flour the surface. Cut into 1-inch wide strips. Transfer every other strip to the top of the pie, spacing them evenly. Create a lattice pattern by alternating and folding in the remaining strips.

   • Brush the lattice crust and edges of the pie dough with the egg wash.

4. Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet. 

   • Place the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes.

   • If the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

5. Cool completely before slicing! Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before slicing, about 4 hours. Otherwise your pie filling will run out onto the plate foiling any Insta-worthy pics you had planned.