This looks so complicated, right?! That’s what I thought… but let Amy show you the way and you’ll be rolling up your sleeves and making a lattice top cherry pie for this Fourth of July!! :-)
For this particular recipe, she started with fresh cherries and pitted them by hand, with surprisingly little waste.
We’ll skip making the pie crust, because that’s a whole different post that I’ll have to do with Amy this fall. But make your pie crust (recipe below), roll half out, and pat it into the pan.
Trim the edges.
Now, roll out your top and start cutting strips. You can use a knife just as well as this fancy little roller tool.
She keeps them remarkably even, but we can’t all be Amy, at least not on our first try, so as I tell my kids – just try your best :-)
Now, this part is important… it will save you from a rookie mistake :-) See how the middle of the rolled out crust is a little taller than the edges – well, that works out great, because the diameter of a pie is a little longer than the other chords. So pick two of the middle (longer) strips and place them vertically across the middle of the pie. Leave some other long middle strips, because you’ll need them to place them horizontally.
Once you have an odd number of strips laid across the pie, start at the beginning and fold every other strip halfway up. In this case, Amy folded up strips #1, 3, and 5. Strips #2 and 4 are still unfolded across the pie.
Now lay another strip horizontally right across the middle.
Unfold your vertical strips over the horizontal strip.
This time, fold up the other vertical strips – strips #2 and #4 – and place a horizontal strip down. Then unfold the vertical strips to cover the strip you just put down.
Repeat – take the odd vertical strips, flip them up, put a horizontal down, and unfold the vertical strips so they go over the horizontal.
When you’re all done, just trim the strips so they match the bottom crust. Then tuck everything under so its just one thick edge.
Make a pretty edge by pushing one forefinger between another thumb and forefinger.
Brush on cream- so much easier and less wasteful than an egg white!! – and sprinkle on a sugar/cinnamon combo.
Ready for the oven!!
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Amy, for another great tutorial!! Get more of Amy’s recipes (including many gluten-free) and tutorials by clicking here.
Lattice Top Fresh Sweet Cherry Pie Recipe
Pie Crust
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
2/3+ cup Crisco
Cold (icy cold) water
Whisk together flour and salt. Cut a little more than 2/3 cup of Crisco into flour mixture with pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers, until mixture is crumbly. Add 5-8 tbsp cold water, mix in with flork until dough sticks together well.
Flour well your pastry cloth (or parchment paper) and rolling pin. Divide dough in half.
Put one half on pastry cloth, sprinkle dough with flour after you flatten it into a round disk with your hands.
Roll out into a circle large enough to cover a 10″ pie pan. Roll the dough up on your rolling pin, transfer to pie pan, and unroll. Press pie crust into pan. Trim edges until an extra inch beyond pie pan.
Fill with filling (see below)
Roll out second half of dough into a rectangular (not circular) shape. Cut with pastry cutter or knife into 1-inch strips.
Form basketweave patter on top of pie with strips, following directions above.
Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Filling
2 tablespoons uncooked tapioca – leave whole
6 cups sweet pitted cherries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss well. Let stand 30 minutes, then stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Follow directions above for pie crust.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Shield edges of piecrust with foil and bake and additional 30 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is thick and bubbly. Cool for 45 minutes on a wire wrack.