Can I Offer You Some Cherry Pie?

This week mom and I made fifteen pies: Strawberry Rhubarb Apple and Cherry pie. Mom makes the Rhubarb pie all the time and it's my absolute favorite, but this time was the first for Cherry pie. We found a decadent recipe and dressed it up a bit for optimum flavor.

Gorgeous cherries!

I spent Thursday evening pitting the giant colander full of fresh cherries. I was expecting this task to take just about forever and a day, but I had hope that I would get a hold of the pitting technique quickly. I remember my dad saying that he cherries from the cherry tree in the yard with a paperclip. That did not sound all that efficient, so I had mom google another technique. Low and behold that is the technique that came most recommended.

Pitting cherries with a paperclip.

Mom got a small paperclip (also recommended) and I donned my gloves. Cherry juice can get everywhere and will stain everything. I used this tiny paperclip for a bit and about tore the cherries to shreds trying to get the pits out. I decided to try a bigger paperclip, and that did the trick! The pits came out easier, cleaner, and the cherries looked whole.

We need lemon juice!

Once the cherries were free of pits we made the pie filling. I really wish I had a cauldron. It would have been fabulous to reduce the cherries in a proper pot.

Cherry pie filling.

Anyway, the pot I had was filled to the brim with cherries, lemon juice, water, almond extract, and cornstarch for thickening. Once it boils, reduce to a simmer and continue stirring for an additional ten minutes. The sauce should be nice and thick and looks like a decadent syrup. Most of the cherries turned to mush, but the riper ones stayed more intact. I like this combination. You have more of a sauce, but you can still eat a whole cherry. It is cherry pie after all!

Pie crust ready for a pie tin.

Next I made an hour's worth of pie crust -- the most wonderful recipe. The crusts turn out so flaky and just incredible. Both the cherry filling and the crusts were left in the fridge overnight for optimum freshness. On Friday, bright and early, I started rolling out crusts and filling pie tins. I have to say the finished product was so sweet. Once I topped the pie with a crust I cut out little cherries and leaves to use as decoration for the top of the pie. People go crazy over this! They love the little personal touches, and I had a blast making them. The whole pie just looks cohesive and complete. I finished off the pies with a bit of egg wash.

In need of filling!

 
We had so much extra pie crust leftover that we didn't want to reuse -- I thought it might be tough and gross, so I decided to roll some of the used crust out and throw a dab of cherry pie filling into the center. Just to see. Well, they turned out kind of ugly, but holy crap! These little guys were incredible! And the crust was still flaky and decadent. That was a happy surprise! 

Pretty touches to cherry pie!

 

The pies turned out so pretty! We had two large pies and five mini pies. The little ones are so sweet, and they're perfect for singletons and couples. It's just enough to satisfy, and small enough to not sit on the counter/in the fridge and rot. They're perfect!