All about cherries: types, flavors and the recipe for a perfect cherry pie

Cherries, stars of summer

Everybody loves cherries. They are an irresistible temptation that wins everyone over, even those who are not fruit lovers. Stars of the season, they can be eaten as a snack or at the end of the meal, one after the other. If you got a lot of them, you can also make jams that keep all year round, perfect for baking. First of all, you need to learn to distinguish them: there are the sour cherries, which are sour and excellent in syrup, and then the marasca cherries, which are small and dark in color, the basis of Maraschino liqueur. They lend themselves to filling pies and enriching ice cream or yogurt cups, but they are also the ideal pairing with meats. Here is the recipe for a delicious cherry pie.

Cherry Pie recipe

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

300 g flour

150 g butter

A pinch of salt

For the filling

800 g black cherries

200 g sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry: sift the flour in a large bowl and add the butter. Rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and 6 or 7 tablespoons of water. Knead the dough, wrap it in cling film and let it chill while preparing the filling. Wash and pit the cherries, then mix the sugar with the cornstarch and add the mixture to the cherries.

Divide the dough in two parts and roll them both. Line the first part into a cake pan and add the filling. Cover with the other part and bake the pie for 20 minutes at 220°C. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature at 180°C and bake for about 50 minutes. Serve the cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

by Michela Becchi