Cherry Raspberry Pie--oh my!

Cherry-Raspberry Pie--oh my it's good.

Fresh cherries, beautiful summer raspberries and a new recipe for Cherry-Raspberry pie. Another pie, you say? Can't help myself. Yes, it's record-breaking hot in Austin, but I'm trapped in my kitchen and am compelled to make, not just plain ole pie (is there such a thing?), but cherry-raspberry pie. All I need is Patty Griffin's raspy voice singing "Making Pies" in the background to put me into the baking mood. For sweet music, click on her YouTube link below as you read on
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In my obsessive pursuit of the perfect recipe for cherry pie, there have been numerous testings this summer. I think I've finally got it. Well, I had it a few weeks ago, but new puppy Newton's arrival trumped my posting. Many mornings between 5:58 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. the thought of writing while the house was quiet, would pop into my mind. Seemed puppy had other plans--Frisbee play in the backyard, followed by tumbling in circles in the fresh morning grass, appealed to him much more than sitting quietly at my feet, while I had my morning coffee and typed away on the computer.

So instead of posting, I water the poor fried roses in my backyard and trim away the crispy dead buds that covered these once stunning plants. I had been neglectful of this summer garden, much preferring to stay inside, rather than venture out into the 100° plus heatwave. Forced into the before dawn early morning garden by a frolicking 10-week old pup, I was compelled to toss the tennis ball, while hand-watering the thirsty flowers. Sipping my morning coffee, I wave to the occasional early morning walker who passes by. I'm sure they admire my lovely PJ's, as well as the cute puppy. At 6:00 a.m. you apparently don't care who sees you in your cheetah print pajamas; but for every one's sake, I made sure to slip on a sports bra. 

When puppy collapses on the wet morning grass and the temperature climbs from pretty warm to searing hot, it's time for his breakfast and my nap on the sofa. Life as I know it is over for a while--even after these brief naps, and despite the 3-4 cups of coffee I consume, I remain tired and grumpy. It's a vicious circle of sleep deprivation and puppy love. To bed late so he can go out just once more in hopes that he will sleep past 6:15. Up early so he can go out, eat, play and let me go back to sleep. It's like Groundhog Day. Haven't been this tired since my last baby, which by the way will be 21 years ago August 22. He was cute and didn't sleep much either.

Newton--cutest puppy ever!

I digress. Back to the pie. When you don't sleep you apparently get "shiny", what my friend Erin calls drifting in thought and place with the inability to stay on task. I am definitely shiny lately!

On this early morning, while the puppy took his nap, I pulled out my new cherry pitter and happily pitted away a few pounds of fresh cherries--messy job that always stains hands and t-shirts, but a surprisingly satisfying way to spend a morning. I had found a new recipe for cherry pie in one of my vacation magazines purchased at the airport--you know, the ones you never buy, except when you're flying. It promised the best cherry raspberry pie recipe ever inside. With a 3-hour flight ahead, who could resist such temptation?

My new cherry pitter--one of the best kitchen gadgets I own.

The recipe called for making what I am now calling a pie roux--my description: a mixture of tapioca and cornstarch cooked together with cranberry juice and a small amount of the fruit, then tossed with the remaining fruit before filling the pie shell. A light went off! This made so much sense to me. A little "roux" of cherries and thickeners would stop my tasty pies from running so much when they were sliced. No matter I used: cornstarch--per Martha's version, or instant tapioca with or without flour, each sliced pie was a little too soupy for my liking. While I didn't want a jello-like filling either, there had to be a solution that tasted good. In my baking dreams, I envisioned a gorgeous, golden pie, brimming with bright red cherries and raspberries, all held together by a firm, but soft, sweet filling. Just had a brain drain and couldn't think of the word "filling"--jeez I need some sleep!

The beginning of my pie roux experiment.

I didn't have cranberry juice, so I substituted the juice and pulp from cherries I had smashed with my potato mashed---probably a cup altogether. Lately, I have used my hand blender to puree the mixture. I used half cherries and half raspberries in the roux, then cooked it until thickened. I then added the fresh cherries and raspberries, sugar, etc. and let the mixture cool completely before filling the pie shell.

In my sleep deprived stupor, I decided to roll out the dough inside the extra large baggie it had been refrigerated it in. I added a little flour to the bag, making sure both sides of the dough had a light dusting of the four, then unzipped the baggie to let the air out and rolled out my pie dough to the correct size. I cut open the baggie and flipped it onto the pie plate. Did the same thing with the top dough. So easy and a great technique if you suffer from pie dough phobia--fear of rolling pie dough and getting it into the pie plate.--or if you're tired. :)

I've added step-by-step photos, which I hope will make this pie making easy to follow. Don't worry that the recipe reads long; I wanted to make sure the directions made sense to even a beginner. Everyone should make a homemade pie, at least once. Hope you enjoy!

Fresh berries tossed with cornstarch are gently stirred in the cooled pie roux.

Pie dough is divided into two pieces and rolled out inside of the baggie it was stored in.

Bag is slit open and dough is gently flipped into pie pan.

Bottom of pie shell is lightly brushed with egg wash before filling to keep crust from getting soggy.

Berry mixture is added.

Ready for top crust. Dots of butter are added for more flavor.
You could do a latticed top if you're feeling creative.

Obviously, I wasn't. Place top pie dough using same technique.
That flour you added to the bag keeps the dough from sticking.

Seal the two doughs together by pulling the bottom up over the top. Crimp,
brush with egg wash, and for a little sparkle--dust with Turbinado sugar.

Pie is ready to bake after firming up the dough in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
In Austin I use the freezer instead.

Pie Fairy--that's what my friend Will calls me now--delivered pie to excited test subjects, who deemed it "the best pie so far--perfect" in a late night text. Guess the magazine was right after all. Silly test subjects--they should have been a little critical, though, and found at least one flaw, so I would re-test. In their pie happiness and sugar comas, they apparently forgot the Golden Rule of being a pie maker's Guinea pig: taste, critique, but always ask for just one more sample, so that you can be absolutely sure!

Hah--the Pie Fairy, despite being sleep deprived and irritable, hasn't lost it yet.

Pie Fairy's Perfect Cherry Raspberry Pie
Makes one 9" pie
400° oven

1 recipe pâte brisée (see previous pie posting)
(divided into 2 disks, placed in gallon size zipped baggie)

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup quick-cook tapioca
2 tablespoons cornstarch, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup smashed fresh sweet cherries*
4 cups pitted and halved fresh sweet cherries
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (6-ounce container)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg york, whisked with 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Turbinado sugar, for dusting top of dough (optional)

*You can use 1/2 raspberries and 1/2 sweet cherries if you prefer.

Remove pie dough from refrigerator and let stand until it begins to soften. You want your dough to still be cold, but with a little give so that it rolls easily and doesn't crack. I usually take my dough out 10-15 minutes before I plan to roll. Timing will depend on how warm your kitchen is--in August in Austin it doesn't take long.

Before rolling, add about a tablespoon of floor to each baggie to lightly dust both sides of the dough to prevent sticking. Roll one crust out in baggie until you have approximately a 12-inch circle. Cut open both sides of the baggie and gently transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim dough leaving at least 1-inch overhang for your edging. Brush lightly with egg yolk mixture to keep bottom crust crisp when filled and baking.Refrigerate dough while making filling. I sometimes put the pie pan in the freezer, if it's really hot. Speeds up the process. 

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, tapioca, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and salt. Whisk to blend. Add orange juice, smashed cherries (or cherries and raspberries) and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. At this point, I like to puree the mixture with a hand blender or potato masher. You don't have to do this, but it makes the filling prettier. Remove from heat and add almond extract. Smells good doesn't it? Let cool.

In a separate bowl, gently toss remaining cherries and raspberries with one tablespoon of cornstarch. Add berry mixture to cooled pie roux, tossing gently, Pour into pie shell. Be careful not to smash your berries--you want whole pieces, not mush. Add about a tablespoon of chilled butter, cut into small pieces, to filling.

Prepare dough for top of pie in same manner as before and place on top of filling. If you're daring, you can make a latticed pie topping--I prefer the extra dough with my filling.

Now fold your 2 pie dough edges up and over (see photo above) and press gently to seal. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect. The double thickness will give you a nice edge to crimp and seal and keep your pie from leaking. Crimp your edge with a fork, like your mother used to do, or use any decorative technique you like. Cut 3 slits in the top center of the pie dough to let steam escape.

Brush the top lightly with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar--this gives your crust a nice sparkle. Regular sugar works fine too. Refrigerate until firm. I put my filled pie in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up both the dough and filling. But I live in Texas, where the kitchen is always warm. Refrigerating for 15 minutes in your area might just be fine!

Bake pie for 15 minutes at 400°, then turn oven down to 375° and bake another 45 minutes, or until top is golden. If your pie edges begin to over brown, cover with strips of aluminum foil. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until completely cool, usually 3-4 hours minimum, however, my pie testers have been know to cut into their pies sooner.

Pie Fairy's Cherry Raspberry Pie
August 2011-hottest summer in Austin EVER!

By the way, hope you liked the Patty Griffin song Making pies......such a sweet voice--and she's from Austin. Enjoy! I know Will did.

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