Hey y’all!
Guess what.
It’s almost time to say goodbye to summer!
How did that happen?!
Now that it’s on the verge of Fall, I thought that one last summer pie would be appropriate.
I mean…Pie is always a good idea.
Sour cherries are definitely becoming one of my favorite pie fillings. They’re just so perfectly tart and tangy. It can be nearly impossible to find fresh ones because their season is so short.
I first came across sour cherries at the Sweet Life when my boss ordered a ton of them frozen, and I got to make little mini pies. Before that I was totally opposed to cherry pie because all I had seen up to then was the disgusting overly sweet red gloppy stuff. My worst nightmare. Sour cherries are nooothing like that.
My mom and I were determined to find some this year, even if they were frozen or jarred! She had heard that Trader Joe’s has them jarred in a light water-y syrup, so I decided to give them a go! And they’re quite good. Still not the best I’ve had (nothing has been able to compare to those ones at the Sweet Life).
These guys are made with a nice flaky pie dough (one of my faves from Ree Drummond). The filling to crust ratio is juuust right for my liking.
Apologies yet again for the sporadic postings in these parts. Fall is coming though. Which means pumpkin. Which means I won’t be able to help myself but bake wonderful things at home, and I’ll get to more posting hopefully.
But for now, here are these cute delish ‘lil pies to enjoy! 🙂
Crust: (Adapted from Ree Drummond)
3 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces unsalted butter, cold
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Filling:
1 full jar Morello cherries from TJs
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Crust:
Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cut the fats in with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Add the egg and mix lightly with a wooden spoon. Drizzle over the water and vinegar, and mix until it just comes together. Divide in two, flatten into disks and wrap in plastic. Freeze for about 20 minutes before rolling out, or refrigerate overnight before use.
Filling:
Drain and rinse the cherries. Beware of cherry pits! I did get at least one in my jar. Sprinkle over the sugar, tapioca and lemon juice. Toss to combine.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Roll out one disk of pie dough at a time to about 1/8th inch thick. I used the top of a bowl to trace out 5 inch circles of dough for my pie moons, but you can make them any shape and size. Paint the edges of the dough with water, add about 2 tablespoons of cherry filling and fold over the top. Crimp the edges with a fork, brush with egg wash (if desired), sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned and the juices bubble.
There ya go! These came together reallly quickly for hand pies because you don’t have to precook the filling. Easy as pie. (hehe)
I love em. The flaky crust, the tart filling. Mmm. Perfect way to say adios to summer (allllmost!)
Now if only we can get some nice cool rainy weather here in California to match the upcoming season. It’ll feel much more appropriate baking with pumpkin if it weren’t 90 degrees out. Just sayin’.
Let’s just face dive into that ‘lil pie please.
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