Cherry pie has been on my mind lately. We had a wonderful cherry pie at The Inn on Crippen Creek Farm on our vacation. My friend Lyla commented on the fact that I failed to get the recipe for it and drats, it is true. While shopping the other day I picked up some sweet cherries with the intention of baking a pie. While laboriously pitting the cherries yesterday David said “what are you going to do with them?” I said “make a pie”. He said “You can’t make a cherry pie with sweet cherries!” “What!” I said. You have to understand that I trust what he is saying, in this case, because he grew up on a farm. A fruit farm. With cherry trees. His Mom was a great cook. Their cherries were sour. Grumbling, I went to the internet and searched for recipes for sweet cherry pie if there were such things. I found one and it was from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. If you can’t trust her authority, one who is under contract with Knopf for a cookbook coming out next Spring, who can you trust. So there. As I expected when making a cherry pie with sweet cherries, just use less sugar.
I feel pretty confident about pie crust. Even back in high school when I didn’t know how to cook anything else, I knew how to make a pie. I had grown up watching my Mom and Grandma make pies. As a matter of fact when David and I were first dating I decided to impress him with a homemade apple pie. I worked on it all afternoon taking extra care to flute the edges of the crust just so. David picked me up for out date and we went to a movie. Now you have to understand that there were two people in our family who loved pie crust; my Dad and me. While we were gone, my Dad started nibbling on the edges of the pie by breaking off small pieces, a little here a little there. He couldn’t help himself. By the time we got home, my beautiful pie looked like a family of mice had gnawed their way through the edges leaving crumbs of pastry scattered everywhere. It was a disaster. David laughed. I was furious. Later my Dad apologized, but it was not as heartfelt as I thought it should have been. He thought it was the funniest thing that he had ever done and over the years the story was told over and over again with great mirth.
So to this day, when I make a pie, I always make it with a thick crust with the edges fluted just so. Just for Dad.
For the recipe for sweet cherry pie and a really great all butter pie crust check out Deb’s Smitten Kitchen blog post.
That looks delicious! I’m a crust fan too and pride myself on a pretty good crust. It makes or breaks a pie!
Delicious…and how I love your story about your dad.
Hi, Penny! I’ve been on a blogging break (still am!) but I try to visit my favorite blogs every once in a while. I hope you had a good ‘motorcycle trip’ with your hubby… I guess you are back! I will have to catch up by reading your previous posts. But I am visiting at a nice time to see your beautiful pie! YUM! I, too, would have been FURIOUS at your Dad for eating the crust!!!! But it just goes to show what a great guy you got that he still ate the pie your dad made a mess of…and your future hubby laughed about it and stuck with you — messy pie crust edge and all! 😉
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Gloria
This IS a great story! And the pie looks delicious! I just had some cherry cheesecake so I am craving cherries now!
XO,
Jane
Nice post Penny….better than the pie. I still say you can’t make a cherry pie with sweet cherries. My Mom is rolling over in her grave.
What a cute story about your dad. As a girl, I would have been furious too. Now it’s a great family story to tell and makes us all seem human. I mean, who can resist a good pie crust? Sounds like a good compliment to me Penny.
Sam
Oh Pooh David! I love the pie and there is now more for me to eat. Enjoy your twix bars for dessert.
PS. Thanks Sam, Jane, Gloria, Susan and Pondside for your kind words.
Penny, after a very long couple of days, I sat down to relax at your site. I am thrilled with this entry for so many reasons. Those were the days, my friend…..I can’t wait to try this pie and the crust. Love.
Great post and what a perfect photo.
Rita
I like to do that break off the crust thing myself. When I was a kid my best friend had a full sized sour cherry tree and he and I would climb it and spend a good part of the day picking cherries. I’ve never been a big fan, but you can bet I ate some of the cherry pie on those days.
I haven’t made a cherry pie in ages, Penny! This looks marvelous. I use my grandmother’s pie crust recipe, but now I make it in the processor. Don’t know how she’d feel about that! 🙂
Penny,
That pie looks amazing…those cherries so intense.
Today a friend is bringing me 20 lbs of pie cherries from Hood River. If I can find some blogging time in the next couple of days, I’ll post the pie recipe with the buttermilk ice cream. If not, then I’ll send the recipe to you directly. I’m going to be a little busy stemming, pitting and freezing cherries.
This pie love amazing Penny, I love cherrries!
gloria
I would have thought that sweet cherries would be the standard for pie – and sour the exception. Shows what I know….Gorgeous Pie!
Aunt Penny, I love the story about grandpa and the pie 🙂 it brought back so many sweet memories of grandma making blueberry pie in the summertime. I went out this weekend to Sprague’s Old Orchard and bought some blueberries, made grandma’s famous pie crust and baked my first blueberry pie 🙂 I only had two problems, I forgot to dot the pie with butter and my stove went out 🙁 I had to run the half baked pie to my mom and dad’s house to finish up the baking, all in all it turned out great, a little tart, but it was still good! Thank you for posting the story and love you and miss you guys!!
Morgan, Thank you for posting a comment. One of the reasons I write this blog is to record the history of our family as it relates to food. I am so proud of you for carrying on the family traditions and I know Grandma is smiling down on you for remembering her through your cooking. We love you too! Come to NC sometime and we will cook together.
Love, Aunt Penny