Fresh Apple & Rainier Cherry Pie with a Lattice Crust

Oh my another pie! This is becoming a ritual. Thanks CIA (Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America), I love you! Sorry foodies, I bet you're sick of hearing about my CIA book but I really enjoy learning and this book is like the bakers bible. You are never too old or young to learn new techniques no matter what the topic. Especially if the end results are a delicious pie.

Today was clean out the fridge day before I take another trip to the grocery store(s). In my fruit drawer I had some rainier cherries that needed to be used. I also had some apples. I bought waaay to much. And pies are just the thing to use up delicious sweet organic fruits. Christopher said that the rainier cherries looked like a baby apple so I thought why not combine them and make a pie.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Fresh Apple & Rainier Cherry Filling, A modified pie filling.

2 Apples (peeled, cored and chopped)

3 Cups Rainier Cherries (pitted and halved)

1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

3 tbsp Cornstarch (whisk until smooth with 1/4 cup of water and set aside)

1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt

1-1/2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 Cup Water

Directions

1. Prepare cherries & apples ahead of time. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Add water and lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Gradually add the corn starch mixture whisking constantly, and return to a boil. Add the cherries and simmer for another minute. Then add apples for a a few seconds and mix well. Remove from pan and stir in butter. Transfer the cherry/ apple filling to a shallow bowl or pan and cover. Cool in refrigerator until completely chilled, about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the pie dough.

Ingredients 

CIA's Single Crust Pie Dough

1-1/3 Cups All-Purpose Flour (plus extra for dusting)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Cold Unsalted Butter (or lard, or vegetable shortening, diced (or a combination of butter and shortening equal to 1/2 cup)
1/4 Cup Ice Water, or as needed

Directions

1. Stir together the flour and salt and cut fat into the flour using a food processor, pastry blender or two knives.

2. For pies with liquid fillings like custard or cooked fruit fillings, the bits of fat should be evenly small and should resemble a coarse meal.

3. Drizzle few tablespoon of ice water over the surface of the flour mixture and quickly rub the water into the flour. Continue to add add the water a tablespoon or so at a time until the dough holds together when you press a handful of it into a ball. Dough should be evenly moist, not wet and shaggy and rough in appearance.

4. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Gather and press the dough into a ball. Pat the ball into an even disk, wrap well, and let chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. Unwrap the dough, divide in half and place one dough on a lightly floured work surface and scatter a little flour on top. Roll out dough for the bottom crust of the pie. About 13 inches in diameter (for a 9 inch pie pan). Pour the filling mounding it slightly. 

6. Roll out the second dough. Cut the dough into 14-16 strips about 1/2 inch wide using a pairing knife or pastry wheel. I used my pizza cutter and I didn't measure the strips. Too lazy. And yes, the photo below is a photo of my CIA book for your viewing pleasure. Visual stimulation is awesome.

7. Brush the rim of the pie shell with egg wash. Lay half of the strips over the pie filling, parallel to each other and spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Fold every other strip in half, back on itself. Lay down another strip perpendicular to the first set, so that it crosses every other strip already on the pie, then unfold the strips. Fold back the alternate  strips and add another perpendicular strip, then unfold the strips. Continue folding back alternate strips and weaving a  lattice. Trim the access dough so that the edges of the dough are almost even with the edges of the pan and crimp the edges to seal. Brush the lattice evenly and lightly with egg wash.

8. Place the pie on a baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven at 425 for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Let the pie sit for 20 minutes before serving. 

This is the pie before baking in the oven. 

And this is after the pie has been baked. How lovely! My house smelled so deliciously sweet and buttery.

I wish I could share this piece of heaven with you. Perhaps virtually you can enjoy this slice. Happy baking my foodie friends!