Summer Cherry Pie

Is there anything more summery than cherry pie? Maybe, but things such as sunlight, sand, and soft green grass aren't as edible (or at least as tasty). Now that I'm back in Portland and she has decided to temporarily bestow warm, sunny days on all of us I've had summer on my mind pretty much nonstop. Peter's had to break out the fan for the room, and I'm cranking my way through Agatha Christie books like no one's business. And, of course, I'm baking pie.

This particular recipe was inspired when I snagged a bag of cherries at our local grocery store, and I was really pleased with a few aspects of the finished product. The filling isn't gummy (I hate that really thick goo that happens with some commercially made cherry pies), the crust is absolutely delicious and the cherries themselves are still cherry-shaped. It's not very much fun for me when a berry pie is just one large gelatinous mass with completely indistinguishable fruit! The filling gets a nice hit of cinnamon, orange zest (though if you fear orange might be too strong I'd recommend using lemon) and a hit of whiskey because why not?

 
In any case, give this pie a shot. I love the prettiness of a latticed pie; apparently my four (male) roommates do as well. It's really remarkable how quickly a pie can disappear when it's left on the counter for a few hours. Enjoy!

Summer Cherry Pie (Loosely Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Crust:
1/3 cup whole milk 
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 
2 cups all purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt  
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter

Filling: 
2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch 

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  

1 tablespoon whiskey 

1/8 teaspoon salt  

5 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 1/2 pounds) or frozen pitted sweet dark cherries, thawed, drained (about 26 ounces frozen). I pitted mine myself, which is a bit more labor intensive, but there's something really satisfying about just sitting down with a knife and a bowl for half an hour and pitting cherries by hand. 

Whisk milk and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl to blend; add shortening and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk mixture; briefly knead in bowl just until dough comes together. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten each piece into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix 2/3 cup sugar and next 6 ingredients in large bowl to combine. Add cherries and toss to blend. Let stand 30 minutes. There will be a lot of excess juice in the mixture, but if you use a slotted spoon to move the cherries into the pie, this will not be a problem.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out larger dough disk on lightly floured work surface to 13-inch round (crust will be thin). Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Roll out second disk on lightly floured work surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. Using fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut rectangle lengthwise into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips. Spoon cherry filling into crust. Place 5 dough strips across pie in 1 direction and 4 in opposite direction, forming lattice. Press strip ends and edge of crust together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Bake pie 20 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil collar to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake until filling bubbles and crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.