Name: Sour Cherry Pie
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 8 hours
Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) pie
Ingredients: 2½ cups all-purpose flour; 1½ sticks (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes; ¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free); ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; 5 Tbsp. ice water, plus more; 1 Tbsp. sugar; 3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca; 1 vanilla bean or 1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 Tbsp. cornstarch; ½ tsp. cinnamon; ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt; 1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp. sugar (divided); 2 lb. fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (about 6 cups); Whole milk for brushing; Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream; Electric coffee or spice grinder; a pastry or bench scraper

Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell

Sure, pitting fresh cherries and rolling out homemade pie crust for this classic sour cherry pie recipe from Gourmet magazine requires more effort than a trip to the bakery, but the juicy, buttery results are so worth it. You’ll use a combination of cornstarch and tapioca to thicken the juices here—the combination creates a perfectly set, gooey (not gloppy) cherry pie filling that blows canned versions out of the water. The filling also gets a dose of vanilla and cinnamon for nuanced flavor, but here you can play around: Add ¼ tsp. almond extract, orange flower water, cardamom, or allspice to give your homemade cherry pie an extra nudge.

It’s critical to use sour cherries (also called tart cherries) here, but if you’re baking outside of sour cherry season, or don’t own a cherry pitter, you can use frozen cherries. Steer clear of sweet cherries, canned cherries, or premade cherry pie filling, which can lead to soggy, saccharine fruit pies.

Our go-to pie crust recipe is an all-purpose, all-butter variation. This one uses a little shortening and a technique called fraisage (smearing portions of dough against the work surface) for an extra-tender, extra-flaky crust. Instead of egg wash, the top of the pie is glossed with whole milk for a matte appearance. Dusted with a little granulated sugar, the golden brown crust glistens around the bubbling red filling.

Serve slices warm or at room temperature, and don’t forget to add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe information

Total Time
8 hours
Yield
Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients

Pastry:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ sticks (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)

½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

5 Tbsp. ice water, plus more

1 Tbsp. sugar

Sour cherry pie filling:

3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

1 vanilla bean or 1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt

1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp. sugar (divided)

2 lb. fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (about 6 cups)

Whole milk for brushing

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Special Equipment:

Electric coffee or spice grinder; a pastry or bench scraper

Preparation

Pastry:
Step 1
Blend 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ sticks (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, ¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free), and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 5 Tbsp. ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
Step 2
Squeeze a small handful of pie dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork, or pastry will be tough.
Step 3
Turn pie dough out onto a work surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all pie dough together with pastry scraper. Divide pie dough with one half slightly larger, then form each piece into a ball and flatten each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Sour cherry pie filling and assembly:
Step 4
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle and put a large baking sheet on rack.
Step 5
Finely grind 3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca in grinder.
Step 6
Split 1 vanilla bean (if using) lengthwise and scrape seeds into a large bowl with a small knife. Whisk in ground tapioca, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt, and 1¼ cups sugar. Add 2 lb. fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries and 1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract (if using) and toss well. Let stand 30 minutes.
Step 7
Roll out larger piece of pie dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round. Fit bottom crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim any excess dough to leave a ½-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out top crust.
Step 8
Roll out remaining pie dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round.
Step 9
Toss cherries well again, then add to shell and cover with top crust. Press edges of crust together, then trim, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Fold overhang underneath, then crimp decoratively and brush top crust with whole milk. Cut out 5 (1- by 1/2 -inch) teardrop-shaped steam vents 1 inch from center and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar.
Step 10
Bake pie on preheated baking sheet 30 minutes, then cover edge with a pie shield or foil and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour more. Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely, 3 to 4 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Editor’s note: This sour cherry pie recipe was first printed in the July 2007 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best fruit pie recipes →