
Right under Glacier National Park is the massive Flathead Lake. It is surrounded by endless hills and cherry trees, and the site of a week-long cherry festival every year. The cherry pie bake-off is the highlight of the week, and winning the Best of Show award is a serious badge of honor. This recipe is one of those winners. References to cherry trees are sprinkle throughout American arts and culture, like this verse below from the Andrew Sisters:
Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she bake a cherry pie, Charming Billy?
She can bake a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink her eye
But she’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother. – The Andrew Sisters, 1953
Classic Cherry Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
- Food processor
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- ½ cup Butter flavored shortening
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 3 tsp Confectioner's (powdered) sugar
- ¼ cup European unsalted butter, cut into small dice and placed in freezer for 30 minutes. (1 stick)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 2 tsp White vinegar
- 1 tbsp Sour Cream
- ¼ cup Ice water
Cherry Pie Filling
- 4 cups Jarred cherries, juice reserved (Morello recommended)
- 1¼ cup Sugar
- 3 tbsp Tapioca
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 1⅓ cups Reserved cherry juice
Instructions
Make Pie Crust
- Add flour, sugar, shortening, chilled butter cubes and salt to a food processor and pulse around 10 times until it resembles yellow cornmeal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. Remove the cover and blade. Combine egg, vinegar, and water in a small bowl. Sprinkle over flour and toss with a fork. Remove from bowl and knead dough into a ball. Cut ball in half, and wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. Transfer 1 unwrapped chilled dough half to a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a circle 11-inches across and ¼-inch thick. Line the pie plate and leave overhanging the edges. Place back in refrigerator until ready to fill and bake.
Make Filling
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl combine all the filling ingredients. Remove pie shell and roll out second half of dough into a 10-inch round. Pour all the mixed filling ingredients into the pie plate. Cover with the top crust and crimp top and bottom edges together. Make 4 slits in top of crust to let steam escape.
Bake Cherry Pie
- Bake pie for 15 minutes at 425°. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake until golden, about 45 minutes more. Cool on the stove top and serve warm.