Sweet Cherry Pie
When I saw Deb’s sweet cherry pie, I was in love. I wondered how I could have possibly forgotten about cherry pie–I mean is that a classic or what?
Everybody loves pie, and almost everybody loves cherries, and all together, you’ve got a treat that will be gobbled up in no time. With a delicious, flaky, buttery crust, and that seductively dark, juicy cherry filling, there’s a reason this pie is a classic. There’s one surprising ingredient in the mix though: black pepper! Ironically, you won’t be able to detect it much in the finished pie, however it serves to give the cherries an even sweeter, flavorful intensity than they would have on their own (sort of like balsamic and strawberries).
- 1 pie crust
- ~4 cups Bing cherries
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2/3 cup sugar
- salt
- ground black pepper
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp cold butter
- Crust decoration
- bit of milk for wash
- sugar, for decoration
The first thing you should do is prepare your pie crust so it has the time it needs in the fridge.
Begin by tossing any reject cherries and then stem, half, and pit the rest. These suckers are juicy and ready to stain, so wear something that you wouldn’t mind ruining with a red splotch or two.
As you work through the cherries, toss them in a bowl along with the sugar, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, almond extract, and vanilla extract. After a few minutes, the cherries should release a good bit of juice, at which point, you can then work in the cornstarch, stirring it to spread throughout and eliminate any chunks without overbeating and mushing up the cherries.
With both the filling and the base of your crust ready, fill the crust up and warm the oven up to 400°F. Take that remaining tablespoon of butter, cut it up into small chunks, and sprinkle them all over the top of your pie filling.
Now, get to work making the lattice on top of your pie if (you’re feeling adventurous/decorative–otherwise, just put on a flat sheet of dough, crimp the edges, and slice a few steam vents). Brush the dough with a bit of milk, sprinkle on some sugar, and transfer to the oven.
Let this bake at 400 for 25 minutes, after which, you should cut the temperature down to 350°F for another 25 minutes.
Enjoy!
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October 1st, 2008 at 5:04 am
Yes, please … oh and I take cream and sugar in my coffee ; )
October 1st, 2008 at 5:47 am
It looks amazing! Black pepper sounds a cool addition! Too bad I can only get cherries next year now:(
October 1st, 2008 at 7:37 am
I love the mix of cherry and black pepper. This is a pie to drool over!
October 1st, 2008 at 8:28 am
Oh boy, am I ever glad I bought that cherry pitter! This pie looks wonderful! Love the lattice work! Cherry pie is definitely one of my faves.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:37 am
Sticking with the rock mode, now I’m singing Warrant’s “She’s my Cherry Pie…” lol
This looks just like at an old diner, complete with lattice work.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:49 am
My sis in law asked me to make a cherry pie recently and I told her no. Had I had your post, I’d have done it! This looks great- love the pepper addition.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:05 am
yeah like how a tsp of coffee enhances chocolate, lime enhances a thick vegetable soup, i can imagine how pepper must work here. Perfect looking pie.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
What a pity. Cherries are long gone. Your pie looks delicious. I have never added black pepper in a dessert before but I sure would like to try this.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I love a man who bakes…they are hard to find.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
are you still getting cherries out there? oh you lucky!! cherry pie - oh yes a classic indeed. the black pepper is lovely. i recently had a chocolate bar with black pepper so i can imagine the flavor here!
October 1st, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Cherry pie makes me think of gingham aprons and lace curtains and farmhouses — all good associations! Haven’t had cherry pie in years, so thanks for the reminder of why this is a classic.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I wish I could bake pies. Sigh.
October 1st, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Looks soooo good! Can’t wait til cherries start cropping up in shops here!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:33 pm
My husband and I love cherry pie and your’s looks great! I have a hankering for it now LOL!
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:08 am
mmmm yum! the addition of black pepper sounds perfect. I always like a little bite in my fruit.
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
your cherries look great, and the pie looks even better. i’ve never made a cherry pie, probably because i end up eating the cherries before they can make it close to the prep stage.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Gorgeous, gorgeous pie! I love your pie crust tutorial, too.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
black pepper! amazing!:) you do know how to tempt Mike:) sadly, I don’t see many cherries here now…but I just got back from a vacation in Europe, and haven’t gotten into the “cooking” fervor yet:)D
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
The best thing about cherry pie is how it made Tawny Kitaen a star.
It’s my favorite of all pies, too.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:20 am
You are quite cruel posting this, I love cherries and the season is long gone here. I would love a slice right now…
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Cherries… Such a lovely fruit and perfect for pies. This one looks gorgeous!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Why do you do this to me? It’s breakfast time and now I stirring at this beautiful pie. Beautiful!
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
what a beauty, Mike!!! I am still counting down the days to my cherry bliss. The addition of black pepper is interesting. I’ll make a small pie to try that out, thanks for the idea.
have a terrific weekend,
Nora
October 4th, 2008 at 1:03 am
[...] Sweet Cherry Pie- Are there still cherries? Is it not too late? Maybe there’s something magical in Florida where Mike of Mike’s Table whipped up this pie. Warm cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream- I could die a happy happy girl. [...]
October 4th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I’m bringing the vanilla icecream, save me some!!
October 6th, 2008 at 11:04 am
i love cherries… and your pie looks amazing!!!
October 10th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I love, love, love cherry pie. This looks amazing! The crust is calling my name.
October 12th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Cherry pie is one of my absolute favourites, yours looks fantastic!