Cherry-Vanilla Cream Pie
It seems that very few people grow cherries at home anymore.
(Of course, very few people grow any fruit at home, except
perhaps the odd raspberry bush or small strawberry patch, or
an old apple tree or two.) But I remember my grandmother's
cherry tree, and the fun my siblings and I would have picking
cherries, mostly to throw at each other or play games with;
they were extremely sour, fit only for canning. The birds
loved them, though, and it seemed for weeks the alley in back
of Grandma's house was littered with cherry pulp, stems and
seeds (to say nothing of the birds' other messy contributions
to this natural litter).
These days, truly delicious sweet cherries -- firm, deep red,
and unbelievably sweet -- are pretty commonly available at
certain times of the year. And when that times arrives, we
suggest trying this pie, an almond-scented custard studded
with cherries, nestled in a buttery crust and crowned with
almond streusel topping
Crust
Use any single-crust pie crust recipe sized for a 9-inch
pan.
Filling
1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 cup (1 ounce) King Arthur Unbleached All-purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups pitted, halved sweet cherries (about 3/4
pound to start)
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup (3 ounces) glazing or confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) diced almonds (blanched or not)
a pinch of salt
Crust: Roll the dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie
pan, crimping the edges. Prick the bottom of the crust with a
fork or dough docker, and if possible, use pie weights or a
nesting pan to line the crust; this will keep it from
bubbling. Bake ("blind-bake") the crust in a preheated 425°F
oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until it's lightly browned. Remove
it from the oven, and reduce the oven heat to 400°F. Allow the
crust to cool slightly before removing the weights or the
nesting pan. If you didn't line the crust and it puffed up,
prick it gently with a fork to deflate it.
Filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together
the sugar, flour and salt. Add the remaining ingredients,
except the cherries, and whisk well. Let the mixture sit for
10 minutes, or for the time it takes to pit and slice the
cherries. Whisk the filling together once again; this helps
the sugar to dissolve.
Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust. Sprinkle the
cherries over the top. Some will sink -- don't worry, they're
supposed to. Use a pie crust shield or aluminum foil to shield
the top edge of the crust. Bake the pie in a 400°F oven for 20
minutes. While the pie is baking, make the streusel topping.
Streusel Topping: If you have a food processor, just
place all of the topping ingredients into the work bowl and
process until it begins to form crumbs. To prepare the topping
by hand, finely chop the almonds (or use almond flour -- the
texture will be a bit less "chunky"), then whisk in the sugar,
flour and salt. Rub or cut in the butter to form crumbs.
By the time the pie has baked for 20 minutes, it will have
just begun to set up around the edges. Carefully sprinkle the
streusel over the top, leaving the crust shield in place. Bake
the pie for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until it's
puffed, the crumbs are very lightly browned at the edges,
and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center
reads above 160°F.
Remove the pie from the oven, cool for about 2 hours, and
sprinkle with confectioners' or glazing sugar before serving.
Refrigerate any uneaten pie. Yield: 8 to 12 servings
Recipe from King Arthur Flour
