Yep. You read that heading correctly. I have the audacity to write a blog post detailing my 10 lb. weight gain AND a recipe for a devilishly fattening and delicious homemade pie. What can I say? I was bitten by the holiday eating bug...and proceeded to bite and devour every sweet in sight. Very similar to the zombie novel I'm reading right now.
This wouldn't bother me at all - - however - - there is a looming dance performance for which I must don WHITE tights and NO shirt. *gulp* Two weeks and counting. I've been running on the treadmill pretty regularly (one of the many perks of spending the holiday at my aunt's house) and yesterday began the must be healthy diet. I don't starve myself or restrict myself, really. It's just stepping up my consciousness to food...like asking myself, "Do I really need another chocolate apricot butter cookie?" The answer is certainly no.
But before I let go of my overtly, absurdly bad holiday eating habits, I must share this pie recipe. It is very special to me because it comes from my grandmother...and it was her grandmother's recipe. When I asked her to teach me how to make her piecrust she asked, "Why don't you just watch Food Network? They do all kinds of fancy things like paint eggwash on the outside." I replied my telling her I didn't want Food Network's recipe, I wanted her recipe. I think that made her feel good. And it's totally true. My aunt makes family cookie recipes every year for Christmas. There are surely more decadent, fancy recipes out there...but we don't care. We love the family recipes simply because of the heritage. They belong to us!
Without further adieu, here is my grandmother's (amazing) sour cherry pie recipe.
Crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
- 4 cups pitted sour cherries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup tapioca pearls
- 1 cup sugar (or more to taste)
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, mix in the shortening until it resembles course meal (or looks about the size of small peas). Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and stir to incorporate until the mixture makes a ball. You don't want it to be floury and dry...but you also don't want it to be sticky.
Divide the dough into two smaller balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Let the filling ingredients sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly dust your counter top or pie board with flour. Also flour your hands and a rolling pin. Make sure a glass pie plate in sitting nearby. Roll the dough out into a large circle to fit inside the pie plate. Try to get an even thickness throughout the dough and be sure to roll it out in every direction (an attempt to get an even circle). You can gently patch any cracks or holes with a drop of cold water. Starting with the firmest side, roll the dough over your rolling pin and carefully transfer to your pie plate. Place the filling inside the dough and repeat the rolling process with the second ball of dough. Top the filling with the second pie dough. Pinch the edges of the two doughs together to seal. Using a fork, gently poke two holes in the dough to let the filling ventilate.
Bake for 20 minutes. Decrease the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing and serving (with ice cream or whipped cream of choice!). serves 8-10
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