Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 4–5 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 6 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 2 tablespoons butter, cold, cubed
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used almond, use what you love), for assembly
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for assembly
Instructions
- Make the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse to combine. Squeeze some of the dough together and see if it holds. If it does, the dough is good to go, if not, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it holds together. Pour the dough onto plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Once the crust has chilled, divide it in half. Roll half of it on a floured surface so that it fits your pie pan. Place it in the pan. Roll the other half so that it is slightly larger than your pie pan. Once rolled, fold it gently and carefully place it in the pie pan. Return to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Make the filling. In a large bowl, stir together cherries, sugar, lemon zest, cornstarch, and bourbon. Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Set the top crust aside. Spoon the cherries into the pie pan, leaving as much juice behind as possible. Do not add much juice or the pie will be soupy! Dot the top of the cherries with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Place the top crust over the filling and crimp the edges tightly shut with your fingers. Brush the top with the milk and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place pie on a foil covered baking sheet to catch any drips (and it will drip!).
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F without opening the oven. Bake for about an additional hour, rotating halfway through if necessary, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling vigorously. Cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving. Pie may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or in the freezer, wrapped in quarters in foil and parchment and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
Notes
Additional chilling and cooling time is necessary
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes