Recipe Box

We love cherry pie. Who doesn’t? This version transforms a traditional round pie into a sheet pan pie, baked in a quarter sheet pan for fuss-free serving to groups of almost any size. The secret addition of nutmeg and black pepper adds surprising warmth and flavor intrigue. Of course, this pie is happily paired with vanilla ice cream, as all fruit pies should be!

Pâte Brisée Ingredients:3-3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting1 tablespoon sugar2 teaspoons Kosher salt1-1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), well-chilled4 – 8 tablespoons ice water (plus more if needed)1 egg beaten, for egg wash when attaching the lattice crust and for finishingTurbinado or raw sugar to finish

Cherry Filling Ingredients:6 cups pitted sweet cherries (fresh or frozen)3/4 cup sugar3 tablespoons cornstarch1/2 tablespoon lemon juice2 teaspoons almond extract1/2 teaspoon nutmeg1/4 teaspoon black pepper1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Prepare the Crust:

1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to evenly distribute.
2. Cut the butter in 1/2″ cubes. Use a little of the flour mixture to keep the butter pieces from sticking together. Chill the cut butter cubes for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare the ice water by filling a small bowl with ice cubes and adding water. Stir until the water is well-chilled.
4. Place the butter cubes into the food processor with the flour mixture. Pulse 4-5 times to cut the butter into the flour. The flour-butter mixture will be coarse with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. (Resist the urge to keep pulsing.)
5. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water by sprinkling on top of the flour and butter mixture. Pulse 2-3 times. Continue adding ice water by the tablespoon, pulsing after each addition until a rough dough is formed. Test the dough by pinching together — if it holds together, enough water has been added. If it crumbles apart, add another tablespoon of water. (Avoid adding too much water, or pulsing too much).
6. Remove the dough from the food processor, and gather it into a rough ball. Flatten the dough ball into two rectangles, one a bit larger than the other. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, or overnight.
7. Remove the larger piece of dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a 14″ x 11″ rectangle, then transfer it to a 13″ x 9″ x 1″ rimmed baking sheet (a quarter sheet pan). The pastry dough will hang over the sides of the baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator and chill.

Make the Filling:

8. If using frozen cherries, defrost, drain, and pat dry. In a large bowl, combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, almond extract, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt, stirring to ensure ingredients are incorporated.
9. Pour the filling into the prepared baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
10. Make the lattice top by rolling out the remaining dough into another 14″ x 11″ rectangle. Cut 1″ wide strips. Reform the dough that doesn’t work for the strips and roll out and cut again, to get a total of 15 strips. Lay the strips over the top of the filled pie, spacing them evenly apart, ending on the sheet pan edges. One at a time, with the remaining strips, starting in the middle and working outward, weave the strips perpendicularly through the first layer, using an over and under technique. Trim away any excess dough from the lattice strips that extends past the pan. Brush the edge with an egg wash, including underneath the lattice strips. Press the dough together to create a seal. Brush the lattice with more egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
11. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling. Place on a wire cooling rack and cool until ready to eat. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.