New Year's Cheery Cherry

We're making pie. Something sweet to usher in the new year, something Mama has been hankering for, especially since I began reading (and talking about) another memoir/travelogue about pie, American Pie by Pascale Draoulec. Using an amalgam of sources, mainly various King Arthur Flour recipes and instructions, I've cobbled together a cherry pie. You might remember that I'm not experienced in the pie realm, having only made a couple of other crusts from scratch, usually preferring to top my apple with crumb or to make berry cobblers instead. Yes, I'm one of those competent home bakers who is afraid of pie crust. But with the bread pledge earlier this year, I started learning about crust. And here are some tips I've picked up along the way.

• Cold is important: cold butter, ice water. I even put my wooden rolling pin in the freezer for awhile.
• While I didn't do it this time, experienced pie makers seem to put apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, milk, or buttermilk powder in their dough. I need to look into this, particularly measurements.
• Butter vs. lard vs. vegetable shortening seems to be a matter of taste, or flaky vs. tender. We did a butter-shortening combo.
• When you have your disk of dough (before you wrap and refrigerate it), roll it on its edge to minimize cracking and tearing when you roll it out. It really works.
• Roll to approximately 1/8" thick. Be sure to know how big your pie plate is: add 3-4" to inside diameter for bottom crust and approximately 1-2" to top crust. Roll in one direction (outwards), not back and forth.
• Brush bottom crust with wash (we used milk) and then brush top crust with wash and sprinkle with sugar. Be sure to vent.
• For filling: shamefully, we admit to using canned cherry filling, doctored with cinnamon and almond extract. Today, we could only manage one homemade component. (Though, Mama didn't really like the almond extract in the end.)
• Apparently, metal vs. glass vs. ceramic makes a difference. I used ceramic. Apparently metal is the most inconsistent nowadays?
• Bake pies on foil-covered sheets to prevent spillage and splatter.
• Bake with foil or pie shield on crust so it doesn't burn. Remove 10-15 minutes before pie is done so the crust can brown.
• Let pie sit out til cold to eat so filling solidifies. Yeah, right. Who can wait?

Update: 24 hours later, the pie is gone. It was wonderful. And I was so proud. I might be a convert to pie, having preferred breads, cakes, and cookies before this. The kids have been calling it "the best pie in Connecticut." I'm ready to make pie every week. And Mama and the kids can't wait! I do have a Hubbard Squash on the porch and there was a recipe in my book in the last chapter . . . .

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Our New Year's Cheery Cherry Pie

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 1-2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

2 cans cherry pie filling

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

pats of butter

*Contrary to instructions, I made the dough in the food processor. Combine flour and salt in food processor. Add shortening and pulse until it resembles small peas. In small pieces, add butter until it resembles small flakes. Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together when pinched. Dump onto cold work surface, fold dough over on itself 3-4 times, divide in half, make two disks, roll edges of disks, and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Combine cherries, cinnamon, and almond extract. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out one disk of dough on well-floured surface until approximately 1/8" thick and about 12" in diameter for 9" pie plate. Fold in quarters and unfold in position. Pat down and brush with milk wash.

Pour filling into pie shell. Dot with pats of butter. Roll out remaining disk of dough. Cut out cute shapes, if desirable (I did our initials and a star). Fold in quarters, move to pie, and unfold. Fold bottom crust up over edge of top crust and pinch together; flute with fingers or pinch with fork. Add additional vents, if necessary. Brush on milk wash and sprinkle sugar. Cover edges with pie shield.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F and bake an additional 35-50 minutes, being sure to remove shield as crust gets brown so edges can brown too. Remove pie from oven when golden brown and bubbly, allowing it to cool and rest on a wire rack.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!

from King Arthur Flour website and the Mr. Washington's Cherry Pie in King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (the rewrite of the recipe directions is mine).