Sour Cherry Pie

Allow me to introduce you to the newest additions to my parents' menagerie. You see, when my sister and I went off to college, and then our different ways (her to grad school, me to Oshkosh), I think my mom had a bit of loneliness set in. As a result, the standard pets that we kept around were just not enough. I'm not entirely sure why an indoor cat, a few outdoor cats, a dog, a half dozen sheep / lambs, and a few horses weren't enough, but we'll just move past that.


No, she needed to branch out beyond that. On from sheep and horses (the cats and dogs stayed) to goats and chickens. Um, yeah. Goats. Chickens. Don't ask me, I don't have the answer. So when I went home last weekend, I got to meet the goat herd and the chickens in their coop. Oh, and Sophie, soon to be their newest dog (hunting beagle, so adorable!). While the chickens were interesting, since they were much more active than any chicken I'd ever seen, it was the goats who were most entertaining. They clambered all over the woodpile, populated with wood split from trees that had gone down in ice storms in previous years. They hopped around, ran about, and generally were very funny to watch.


And in the end, I'll get to try true free-range organic chicken and goat. What more could I ask for? Actually, I'm planning on subjecting the guys at work to goat since they made me try cow tongue. Turnabout's fair, right?


While I was there though, we also wandered through the farmer's market. Not only was I bombarded by beautiful produce (5 pound boxes of blueberries!!!!!), but I ran across a stand selling quarts of sour cherries! Since I won't have time to head up north to pick up sour cherries here in Wisconsin, I just had to get them. And obviously, make them into pie. The very night I returned from Indiana. Priorities meant pie came before unpacking and sleep, and that's just the way it is. (If you're wondering, sleep came next, and unpacking is still a ways away)


Now that I've had sour cherry pie, I cannot understand why anyone would make pie using canned cherry pie filling. The flavor? Completely different. Totally better. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the goat once I get some...

Sour Cherry Pie (adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book)

1 recipe for double crust pie dough (below)
2 lbs sour cherries
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1 Tbsp lemon zest

First, the fun part - pitting cherries! Like I told Maria, the easiest way to do with if you don't have a cherry pitter (BOO UNITASKER) is to use a piping tip. I just stuck it on my fingertip and poked the pits right out. Easy peasy. Now mix together the cherries with the rest of the filling ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Split the dough in half, with one larger half and one slightly smaller. The larger half will be the base, the smaller the top crust. Roll out the larger half into a rough circle, flouring your table and rolling pin so the crust doesn't stick. Once it's big enough, drape it carefully over the pie pan and carefully shape it into the corners. Fill with the cherry mixture. Roll out the smaller half the same way, then drape over the top. Trim the excess, making sure to leave about an inch of crust around the edge of the pan. Fold the edge under and crimp as decoratively as you'd like. Brush the top with milk, dust with sugar, and cut some slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for another 45-60 minutes, or until it's bubbly and a knife inserted pierces the cherries easily. Allow to cool at least an hour or two before cutting.

Double Crust Pie Dough
(yes, I know Crisco is the devil, but the devil makes some seriously tasty flaky pie dough)

2 cups flour
generous 1/2 cup shortening
1/4 tsp salt
ice water, 1/4-1/2 cup

Cut the shortening into the flour and salt until it resembles coarse meal. Slowly dribble in ice water, tossing together with two forks (to avoid overworking) until the dough holds together. Shape into a single mass.