It has taken me years to make a cherry filling that I’m happy with. This one is pretty versatile; it fills one 9-inch pie or two 6-inch pies. I’ve been experimenting with the smaller size because, with a household of three, those large pies are hard to finish at their peak. I use a standard all-butter pie crust; you can go double-crusted or use a streusel topping or triple crust it if you’re feeling sassy. My standard recipe uses cherry lemonade as the liquid, mostly because it is a staple in the house during cherry season. If you’re working with frozen cherries, you can use cherry juice, plain water or, as I did today, you can use Root for a cherry-root beer pie that is something special. Add some vanilla ice cream and you’ll be in hog heaven.
Cherry Pie Filling
– 1000 grams/2.2 pounds pitted cherries
– 150 grams/3/4 cup sugar
– 50 grams/1/4 cup dark brown sugar
– 4.5 grams/3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
– 12 grams/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
– 7 grams/1 tablespoon cornstarch
– 28 grams/1/4 cup cherry lemonade
In a medium sauce pot, combine the cherries, sugar, brown sugar, salt, tapioca starch, cornstarch, and cherry lemonade. Stir to combine. Set the mixture over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring. Adjust the heat to medium and cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl set over an ice bath and cool completely before using. Pie filling may be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before using.
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