A cherry pie for David

with a foolproof recipe to celebrate a true original

I wrote earlier this week about the loss of David Lynch and how the true originals amongst us are fast disappearing. Then I made a rookie move and added a recipe for what I thought was a sort of Lynchian potato soup (simple on the surface, with hidden depths to discover).

While I still stand by the soup and its deliciousness, as Amie McGraham from Cook & Tell pointed out, the recipe probably should have been for cherry pie. And she’s right. Not only is cherry pie synonymous with Lynch’s Twin Peaks, it’s also probably the best kind of pie on the planet. And with that I declare my utter bias to the pie of my heart.

Just make pie

I love making pie. If you haven’t tried your hand at it, I know you may not believe me when I say it’s as easy as, well, pie. It’s not the filling that seems difficult; after all, this is usually fruit, sugar, some sort of thickener, and perhaps a few spices. It’s the dough that confounds and intimidates.

For such a simple thing - essentially flour, water and some sort of fat - there are myriad recipes for pie dough. The first time I made pie dough, I thought I’d go to one of my tried and true kitchen wizards: Julia Child. Her recipe is simple and delicious. Then I discovered Kate McDermott and her wonderful cookbook The Art of the Pie. She quickly became my all-around go-to pie guru.

If you love pie but don’t know McDermott, either buy the book—full of gorgeous photography and wonderful stories to go along with the recipes—or subscribe to Kate McDermott’s Newsletter posthaste. Or better yet, both. A self-described storyteller, musician, culinary teacher, and late-blooming published author, McDermott’s Substack is a perfect weekly read. While it’s much more than just pie (McDermott is a wonderful cook and her newsletter is full of recipes that will delight you and your family), it’s also the perfect way to ease into your pie-baking journey.

If you liked this post, feel free to click the ❤️ button. It makes my day and also helps spread the word about Delicious Bits. Thank you, readers and eaters!

Kate McDermott’s award-winning sour cherry pie

makes one double crust 9” pie

It may not be sour cherry season where you live, but pitted frozen sour cherries surely come in handy for this gem of a pie. If you do use frozen cherries, make sure they are pitted, and don’t thaw them before assembling the filling.

Ingredients

1 recipe of your favourite double crust pie dough (McDermott’s is here, complete with video)

6 cups (680–900 grams), about 1 1⁄2–2 pounds, pitted sour pie cherries, drained, fresh or frozen (unthawed)

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

A very small grating of nutmeg

1⁄3 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Cointreau or other orange liqueur

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1⁄2 tablespoon butter for dotting

1–2 teaspoons sugar, for sprinkling on top of the pie

Egg wash (1 egg white plus 1 tablespoon water, fork beaten)

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. Place the sour pie cherries, sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, Cointreau, and quick-cooking tapioca into a big bowl, and mix until the fruit looks like it is coated with coarse wet sand.

3. Pour the filling into a chilled dough and dot the top with butter. Place the pie in the fridge while you roll out the top dough.

4. Lay top dough over the fruit, and cut 5 to 6 vents in it, or cut dough strips and make a lattice top. Trim excess dough and crimp or flute edges.

5. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°F (220°C). Reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove the pie from oven and lightly brush some of the egg white wash over the top of the pie and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Place the pie back in the oven and continue baking at 375°F for another 10 to 15 minutes. It’s done when you see steady bubbling coming through the vents or lattice.

6. Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before cutting so that the filling has a chance to set up.