In the Kitchen - Fresh Cherry Pie Recipe

Usually for a couple of weeks around this time every year, we see fresh sour cherries for sale at the local market. I always make a point to buy some in order to make a cherry pie, which is undoubtedly one of our favorites. Part of what makes this pie so special is that in all likelihood, we'll only be able to have it once or twice a year as the season for fresh sour cherries is relatively short. Maybe one day when we purchase the homestead of my dreams, I will plant enough sour cherry trees to fill a chest freezer with enough fruit to satisfy our pie cravings year around. Until then, we'll just have to savor this rare treat.


I've used the same pie crust recipe for years. It always gets rave reviews from our guests and never fails to bake up nicely. Once in a while, I will try out a new recipe but in the end, I always return to this one, which you can find here.

For the filling, I mix together 5 - 6 cups of fresh pitted sour cherries, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar, 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch (or quick-cooking tapioca pearls), 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and sometimes 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. This should be enough to fill a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.

After assembling the pie, I usually brush the crust with some beaten egg and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Then the pie goes into a 350 degree F oven for about 1 hour and 15 - 25 minutes.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are headed off to our friend's house for dinner. It was my job this year to bring the pies and stuffing.








I'll spare you the details as my mind is wrapped around my belly today. If you're interested, you can find one of my pie recipes here. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Picked Pepperonici Peppers, Cherry Pie, Green Coriander and Chioggia Beets

It's amazing how fast time flies when you're running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I will admit that I have been looking forward to the weekend when I can veg around the house a bit and catch up on my blog reading. Anyway, here are just some random tidbits on the home front:


As I mentioned on my last post, I harvested some pepperoncini peppers last weekend and was really looking forward to pickling them, which I did earlier this week. The recipe I used was fairly straight forward: mix together 2 cups of water, 1 cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

I halved the pepperoncini peppers (and some cherry peppers I had lying around), packed them in an airtight jar, poured in the solution and into the fridge it went. After a couple of days, I sampled the pickled peppers and frankly, they are delicious. We've been enjoying them in salads and sandwiches. They will keep in the fridge for about a month but I honestly don't think they will last that long.


Earlier this week, I also spotted some fresh sour cherries at the market. I couldn't resist and had to get some. I hadn't made a pie since last fall. These cherries were just the motivation I needed. Cherry pie is Marc's favorite and I will admit that this was the best one I've made in a while.

For the the cherry pie filling, I combined 5 cups of pitted fresh sour cherries, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch. A recipe for killer pie crust can be found here.


On the gardening front, I harvested a good amount of green coriander last week.


The seeds were plucked from then stems and then frozen for future use. As expected, green coriander has an aroma somewhere in between fresh cilantro and dried coriander seed.


Finally, I'm really proud of my beets this year. They are plump and exceptionally sweet. If only this were the case every year. Not wanting to waste anything, I've been using the leaves in soups. The beet roots on the other hand are simply roasted with a bit of kosher salt and olive oil. Yum!

Pie: An American Tradition

The Egyptians may have invented pie in 2000 B.C., but it wasn't until a couple hundred years ago that Americans began transforming this culinary wonder into an art form (no offense to my British friends). A lot has changed since the first pilgrims landed in the new world, but our passion for pie has remained constant, which is why to this day no Thanksgiving feast would be complete without one (or 10). In my opinion, few things are more traditionally American than pie. And although this country was built upon many different cultures, it's really "the pie" that binds us. (Bad joke.)

That being said, I rarely have time to bake these days (which is sadly a phenomenon even more ubiquitous in America than pie). Between the longer work commute, new house, growing family and new garden, there leaves little time for much else let alone baking pies. However, I try to make an exception during this time of year. You see, the last of the summer peaches are quickly disappearing from farmer's market shelves while the early varieties of pears and apples are just showing up. Therefore, there's only a narrow window of opportunity to make the local (and best tasting) version of what I like to call my Autumn fruit pie, which highlights all three fruits. I've been making this pie for many years now and it still remains one of my all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy it too!


It's true what they say, a good pie recipe starts with a great crust. Here is one that has never let me down:

Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2/3 stick of unsalted butter (chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
3/4 cup of vegetable shortening (chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1/2 cup of ice water

In a large shallow bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Using a pastry cutter/fork, incorporate the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (you should still have rather large bits of butter and shortening when you're done). Slowly drizzle in the ice water and mix with a wooden spoon. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface, and fold it together using your hands. The dough should come together easily but should not feel overly sticky. Cut the dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap each in cellophane and refrigerate for at least an hour.



Autumn Fruit Pie Filling Recipe

2 large peaches pealed, pitted and sliced
2 large pears pealed, cored and sliced
3-4 medium (or 3 large) apples pealed, cored and sliced
1 cup of blueberries or raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2/3 to 3/4 cup of sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons of corn starch (depending on ripeness of fruit)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
grated zest of 1 small orange

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together with your hands until the sugar and cornstarch are thoroughly distributed. Remove the dough one at a time from the refrigerator and roll each into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Lay the first crust into a 9-inch pie pan and fill with the fruit mixture. Beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk and brush the edges of the crust with some of this mixture. Place the second crust on top and lightly press along the edge of the pie pan to seal the two layers. Cut the edges of the crusts to within 1/2 to 1 inch of the pie pan and then fold the edge of the top crust over and under the edge of the bottom crust, pressing lightly as you do so. Cut 3 slits onto the top crust (to vent steam), brush with more egg mixture and spinkle some sugar on top. Bake at 425 for the first 30 minutes, then lower to 350 for another 20-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the pie pierces fruit that is cooked yet still slightly firm. Cool for at least 2 hours before serving.