Butter Beard’s Fresh Cherry Pie
One 10” pie
Almond Crust:
2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted and then chilled
4 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
16 Tbsp (two sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
1 Tbsp white vinegar and enough cold water to equal ½ cup liquid
Filling:
5 cups sweet cherries, pitted
2 tsp freshly grated ginger root
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 ½ Tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Egg wash and sanding sugar to top the pie before baking
1) The crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, toasted (and chilled) almond slices, sugar and salt. Using a box grater, grate the butter over the dry mix. Lightly toss together with your fingers. Add the liquid and squeeze together into a dough. Divide the dough into half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and chill for at least one hour.
2) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
3) Toss the pitted cherries with the freshly grated ginger root. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and allspice. Fold the dry mixture into the cherries and mix until evenly combined.
4) Roll out one of the doughs to fit the bottom of your pie plate. Roll out the second dough into a 9x12” rectangle. Slice the rectangle into eight long strips. Pour the cherry filling into your dough-lined pie plate. Dot the butter in small pieces over the cherry filling. Lattice the eight strips over the filling. Brush the top of the lattice with an egg wash and generously sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5) Bake the pie at 425 for fifteen minutes, reduce the heat to 375 and bake for another 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling and aromatic.
6) Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least three hours so the filling can settle and bind the fruit before slicing.
