CSA Week 7: More Tart Cherries

Yes, I know I already posted on tart cherries, but this recipe was too awesome not to share (it had to be pretty tempting for me to turn on my oven). I thought this would be a perfect, homey housewarming treat for my brother and sister-in-law.

Sour Cherry Slab Pie

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold and diced
3/4 cup ice cold water

Filling

6 cups sour cherries, pitted
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch or two of salt
1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1) Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and diced butter. Pulse until ingredients are well combined and butter is the size of peas.

2) Slowly add 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water over the butter and flour mixure. Pulse to combine. Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. Remove all the dough and gently knead together.

3) Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in a piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

4) Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.

5) Remove two pieces of dough from the fridge. Cut one of the pieces in half, and combine with the other piece to make a larger ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the large piece of dough into an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible (tossing it in the freezer for a couple minutes if it softens) and using enough flour that it doesn’t stick to the counter.

6) Transfer to a 15 x 10 x 1 inch rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper (pastry will hang over sides of pan). Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.

7) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with heavy cream or egg wash.

8) Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.

9) In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar, water and lemon juice until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve warm or room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of the Smitten Kitchen (super-fab, must-read cooking blog)

I wanted to try making my own pie crust, but you could probably just buy a store-bought crust and skip to step 4 if you're pressed for time. Don't be intimidated though... the crust was really simple to make. I adapted the Smitten Kitchen's dough recipe for the food processor, but she actually makes it by hand. Read her post on All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough for a quick how-to.

Overall, this was just perfection. The pie's shape and rustic crust look very impressive in the pan, but I cut it up into squares for easier delivery. It would be ideal Sunday brunch.