Classic Cherry Pie
And for good reason.
This recipe is utterly straightforward. No frills — and reader, you know I love a frill. But I also have to respect what’s already perfect, and a classic cherry pie? Baby, that’s perfect.
Don’t be mistaken. Here, uncomplicated does not mean artless. To get a stable filling without too many stabilizers, I like to macerate the cherries overnight. Drawing out some of the water and reducing the juice helps get a really concentrated flavor, which is bolstered by warming spices, a little bit of citrus and more salt than you’d probably think.
I’ll offer several tips for getting a nice lattice crust that really sells the meant-to-cool-in-a-window-sill aesthetic, but the main one is time and temperature. The secret to success with pie crust is often just patience — you need to chill it between just about every step. If you commit to that, it should be pretty easy to work with. I used a 9.5” glass pie pan for this recipe because that’s what I had, but I think a 9” would be ideal so there’s less pressure on rolling the crust out to be quite so large and thin.
A note on cherries: At the very end of summer, they’re still available but fading quickly from grocery stores in my area. It’s what made me want to write this recipe now. If the same can be said for you, there’s no time to waste. You can pit them by first halving them, like you would a peach, or with a straw, punching out the center (I use one meant for boba). Or, you can buy one of those cherry pitters if you have space for that kind of single-use appliance. If you’re not able to get them fresh, frozen will work just fine.
Serves: 8-12
Inactive time: 24 hours, plus 2 more
Active time: 1 hour
