It's that time of year again, the wonderful month of July where summer is at its height and red, white, and blue is everywhere. When I was thinking of what to make for our annual fourth of July BBQ, it couldn't be anything other than a delicious fresh cherry pie! Pitting the cherries may be a labor of love but its all worth it once you see your family and friends faces as they eat this pie.
What makes this pie a special cherry pie, is its yummy cornmeal crust. The slight sweetness of the cornmeal compliments the sour cherries perfectly and it has a perfect texture that stands up to all those yummy cherry juices.
Cornmeal Crust
2 cups AP flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup ice cold water (plus a few extra tablespoons depending on how dry it seems)
To make the crust, combine all your dry ingredients in a stand mixer and mix on low just to combine. Begin adding your cold butter cubes and let it mix until the butter is the size of peas and the dough has a sand like texture. You can also do this by hand with a pastry blender, but I find the mixer is a little faster, and less messy! After your butter is at the right size, add your water with the mixer on low. It will seem dry but let it keep mixing and it should come together in a dry dough ball. If not, you can add a few extra tablespoons of water. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge while you make your filling.
Cherry Pie Filling
3 1/2 cups pitted red cherries
1/4 - 1/2 cups granulated sugar (based on the sweetness of your cherries)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
squeeze of half a lemon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix the sugar and cinnamon into your cherries and then add the lemon juice and corn starch. Stir a few times until all is combined and the lemon and cherry juice has mixed with the cornstarch. You can now take your dough out of the fridge, roll it out till its about half an inch thick, and lay it over your pie pan. Just pinch the dough with your fingers or you could also use the prongs of a fork to decorate the edge. Pour cherries into the crust and then you'll have just enough dough left over to make some fun designs on the top. I punched out stars and used some letter cookie cutters. You could adapt this to any holiday or celebration you have in mind. Brush your crust with a simple egg wash and bake at 350 degrees or until the crust is golden brown and the cherries are bubbly. It is an absolute must to serve this warm with cold vanilla ice cream. (But its delicious at room temperature as well.)
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE.