Food and Drink

Alaska fruit gives cherry pie a tart kick

I'm a sucker for harvesting my own food but don't get to do it very often, so when my friend Kate called on a rainy day and invited me to pick cherries from a backyard that was ripe with red fruit from 100-year-old cherry trees, I grabbed my Xtratufs and headed for downtown Anchorage. Kate, of course, is a pro picker, so she had fashioned plastic milk jugs with string to hang around our necks for easier picking and transporting.

I got back home and set up a pitting station with bowls, paper towels and a glass of rosé and pitted about 10 pounds of fruit. I shared some, froze some and then wondered how best to treat the cherries; there's something about gathering your own food that elicits extra care and thought as to how to prepare the bounty.

Savory pies — chicken pot pie, shepherd's pie, seafood pies — I like to make in fall and winter, but summer is all about sweet versions. Because I don't have much of a sweet tooth, sour or tart cherries make the perfect filling to pair with a sweet pastry crust. You could always add a few dashes of kirsch or almond extract instead of vanilla to the mix.

It's not easy but keep in mind that it's best to wait and allow the pie to cool, uncovered, at least four hours before slicing. Otherwise, you'll have a runny cherry mess on your hands. Not to worry, the perfect bite of warm summer pie is worth the wait.

Recipe adapted from epicurious.com

Sour cherry pie

For the crust:

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1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 large egg yolks

For the filling:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Pinch kosher salt

3 pounds fresh sour cherries, pitted, or 6 cups frozen cherries, thawed and drained

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Topping: Demerara or granulated sugar

For serving: Fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade, pulse together almond flour, sugar, salt and flour. Add butter and pulse a few times until mixture resembles small peas or coarse cornmeal. Whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup ice cold water together and drizzle over flour mixture. Pulse a few times until mixture starts to come together and just begins to form a ball; slowly drizzle in 1 to 2 tablespoons more cold water, as needed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until it all comes together. Form into a ball, cut in half and pat each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill at least two hours or keep refrigerated up to three days.

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2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let dough sit at room temperature to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Lightly dust a clean kitchen surface with flour. Roll out one disk of dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

3. Combine sugar and orange zest together, using your fingers, in a large bowl. Add cornstarch, salt, pitted (and drained, if thawed) cherries and vanilla. Toss to combine with the cornstarch mixture. If cherries still look very soupy/liquidy, add up to 1 more tablespoon cornstarch and combine well; set aside.

4. Remove dough disks from refrigerator. Carefully transfer one disk to a 9-inch-wide pie plate and fit dough into the dish. Trim ends. Cut small holes out of remaining dough. Fill pie with cherry filling. Carefully transfer remaining dough disk to cover cherry filling. Crimp edges together and seal, using a fork or your favorite crimping method. Brush with lightly beaten egg and top with sugar.

Place pie on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to make sure crust is not burning. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, another 50 to 60 minutes, tenting with foil if crust is browning too quickly.

Important: Let cool on a wire rack at least 4 hours before slicing. Serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Kim Sunée is the bestselling author of "Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home" and "A Mouthful of Stars." For more food and travel, visit kimsunee.com and instagram.com/kimsunee.

Kim Sunée

Kim Sunée is a bestselling author ("Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home," "A Mouthful of Stars," "Everyday Korean: Fresh, Modern Recipes for Home Cooks") and a former magazine food editor. She's based in Anchorage. For more food and travel, visit instagram.com/kimsunee.

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