After a lovely time in Door County last weekend, I returned home with 5 quarts of cherries, just waiting to be crafted into a tasty pie. After putting the task off for a couple days, I buckled down and stemmed, washed and pitted all those cherries. Then I froze them, and brought them up north this past weekend so I could share the bounty with family. In a collaborative effort, the pies were baked and thoroughly enjoyed (Hubby’s Mom made the crust, my Mom helped with assembly and some troubleshooting, our dads, siblings and friends helped devour). Be forewarned… this post contains a monster amount of pictures! However, I think the images illustrate my point much better than words ever could. Below (waaay below) are the crust and pie recipes and a few tips on pitting and freezing.

Crust Recipe

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 t. salt
3/4 cup shortening, well chilled
2 T. butter, well chilled
5 – 6 T. cold water

Sift flower and salt into bowl. Cut shortening and butter into 4 or 5 pieces and drop into bowl. Turn to stire speed, and cut shortening into flour until partciles are the size of small peas, about 30 seconds. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, until all particles are moistened. Use only enough wtaer to make pastry form a ball. Watch dough closely as overmixing will result in a tough crust. Chill in refridgerator 15 minutes. Roll into 1/8 inch thickness between waxed paper. Fold pastry into quarter; ease into plate and unfold, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim and crimp edges. Fill and bake as desired. Yield: Two 8 or 9 inch single crusts.
(Recipe from Kitchenaid Cookbook)

Pie Recipe

6 cups frozen Door County Cherries or (2) 16 oz. cans of water-packed Door County Cherries, drained.
3 tablespoons tapioca
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Combine fruit, tapioca, sugar and extract in bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Fill pastry shell with fruit mixtures, dot with butter. Add crust; seal and flute edges. Bake at 400 degress for 65 – 70 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
(Recipes from ‘101 Things to Do In Door County’)

Notes

I highly recommend this pitter. It is simple, cheap, and saves much time! Last year I used a sterilized hair pin. Please don’t try this method. It results in much frustration.

To freeze your cherries, combine 5 cups cherries, with 1/2 cup sugar and mix well, then put in container and freeze.

This recipe is for tart cherries. I’ve never baked a cherry pie with sweet cherries, so I am not entirely sure how it would need to be altered (besides the obvious, which is… less sugar).

I have included this particular recipe, because it is much simpler than the last version I tried, which included boiling and several more ingredients. If you would like the more compliated version, email me and I will send it your way!