FRESH CHERRY PIE WITH A SPLASH OF BOURBON

makes one 9” lattice top pie

Pie Pastry for one 9” double crust
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup ice cold water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Using a bench scraper or your fingertips, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs with a few pea-size pieces. In a small bowl combine the ice water and vinegar. Add half of the water/vinegar to the flour/butter mixture and use your fingertips to combine. Add just enough of the remaining water/vinegar to the pastry so it comes together and does not feel dry. Gather the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out one disc into a 12” circle and gently fit it into a 9” pie plate. Fold and crimp the edges, refrigerate. Roll out the second disc of dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper into a 12” circle and cut into 1” strips using a pastry cutter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Fresh Cherry filling with a splash of Bourbon (adapted from Food and Wine)

6 cups of fresh sweet cherries, pitted
3-4 tablespoons Bourbon (depends on the day that precedes the baking of the pie) 
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
generous pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cardamom

egg wash made with 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the pitted cherries, bourbon, orange juice and zest.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, cornstarch and spices. Add the sugar mixture to the cherries, combine thoroughly using a rubber spatula. Pour the cherry filling into the chilled pie shell, cover with the lattice, seal and crimp the edges. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and move pie to middle shelf of the oven. Continue baking for 35-45 minutes, until the juices are bubbling thickly around the edges and in the middle of the pie. If the edges are getting too brown during baking, cover them with strips of aluminum foil. Set pie on a rack to cool completely before slicing.

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