Recipes › Cherry (Sour) › Classic Sour Cherry Pie
Classic Sour Cherry Pie
The definitive sour cherry pie — deeply ruby-red filling with a perfectly balanced sweet-tart punch that makes sweet cherry pies taste like a lesser thing. Double-crusted with a lattice top that lets the bubbling, jewel-bright filling show through. This is what cherry pie is supposed to taste like.
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Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh sour cherries, pittedJarred Morello cherries, well drained, work in winter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp almond extract (optional)Classic addition but optional
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, for pastry
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed, for pastry
- 1 tsp salt, for pastry
- 1 tbsp sugar, for pastry
- 6 tbsp ice water
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
- 2 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Contains: cereals gluten, eggs, milk, nuts.
Method
- Make pastry: pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse until crumbly with pea-sized pieces. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until dough just holds together. Divide in half, shape into disks, wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.About 15 min
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss pitted sour cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract in a bowl. Let macerate 15 minutes.About 15 min
- Roll out one pastry disk on a floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Ease it into the dish without stretching.About 5 min
- Pour cherry filling into the shell. Roll out the second disk and cut into ¾-inch strips. Weave a lattice top over the filling. Crimp edges to seal. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.About 12 min
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake 35 more minutes until filling is bubbling through the lattice and crust is deep golden. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.About 55 min
Tips
- Sour cherries have a brief mid-summer season — buy them in bulk and freeze the pitted fruit.
- The 2-hour cooling time is not optional — the filling needs to set or the pie will be soupy.
- An aluminum pie plate gives a crisper bottom crust than glass or ceramic.
Ring the changes
- Add ½ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the filling for a spiced cherry pie.
- Use half sour cherries and half sweet cherries for a more approachable sweet-tart balance.
Keeping it
Cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
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