Ahhhhh tart cherry season..... one of my personal favorites.
Living 45 minutes from Door County has many advantages and one of them is tons of fresh tart cherries in August. I love a sweet cherries as much as the next person, but they do not hold a candle next to tart cherries. There is something about the flavors of a dessert made with tart cherries that are perfect for late summer- sweetness with a bit of tang.
I recently made peach and plum galette and knew I wanted to give it a try with tart cherries. I kept the recipe very simple and added a small amount of sugar and cornstarch to the cherries so they would thicken and bubble while baking.
This dessert was a big hit at our house. Kellen's preferred method is to eat all the cherries and they move to the crust. I think he wants to make sure he gets all the good stuff in first...smart boy. I like to serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream while it is still warm.
I have a few more bags of pitted cherries that I am saving in the freezer after the season is over and I can't get my mine of a tart cherry pie or galette.
Tonight we are relaxing at home and starting up the grill for a new chicken recipe coming your way soon!
Ingredients
1 pie crust (I used a pre-made from our bakery, but you could make our own)
2 1/2 cups pitted tart cherries
2 Tbl granulated sugar
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water
2 tsp raw sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
Stretch (or roll if you made your own) your pie crust on lightly floured parchment paper.
Place cherries in the center of the crust. Make sure to leave about 2 inches boarder around the outside to fold over.
Fold the crust edges up and over the cherries (I tucked as I circles the fruit).
Transfer the parchment to a baking sheet.
Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle evenly with sugar.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the fruit center is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Top with ice cream and serve.