All-American Cherry Pie
Submitted by maincook
Classic homemade cherry pie with fresh tart cherries, tapioca thickening, and optional kirsch for depth. This all-American dessert features golden flaky crust and ruby-red fruit filling.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
50 minREADY
60 minNothing says summer like a fresh cherry pie with juice bubbling through a lattice crust. Fresh tart cherries bring that perfect sweet-sour balance, while quick-cooking tapioca thickens the filling without making it gummy.
A splash of kirsch (cherry brandy) is optional but adds sophisticated depth that makes people wonder what your secret is.
The two-temperature baking method starts hot to set the crust, then drops down for gentle, even cooking.
The photo shows exactly what you’re aiming for: golden pastry with jewel-toned cherries peeking through.
Chef Tips
- Use a cherry pitter to speed up the tedious task, or use the end of a chopstick
- Quick-cooking tapioca works better than cornstarch for cherry pie; it handles the acidity
- Let the filling sit 15 minutes before baking so the tapioca can absorb liquid
- Cool completely before slicing or the filling will be runny
- Lattice crust is pretty but slits in a top crust work just as well
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Sort, rinse, stem and pit cherries.
Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and kirsch in large bowl; let stand for 1 minutes.
Pour fruit into unbaked pie shell and dot with butter.
Cover with top crust (slashed to allow steam to escape) or lattice pastry.
Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees.
Then reduce oven temperature to 350℉ (180℃) and continue baking until golden brown, about 40 more minutes.
Cool on wire rack.
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