Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Craving quenched

Ok, for some reason yesterday, I started thinking about pies, and then cherry pies in particular, and then a yearning grew within me that had to be fulfilled. In hindsight, I should have just bought a stupid cherry pie, but for some reason, that seemed like cheating, so I made one. Plus, I could use my new Fiestaware pie dish, so bonus.

I went to the store and bought 2 cans of tart cherries in water and a packet of ready-made pie crust - a minor cheat.
I drained the cherries, added 1/2 c of sugar and about 1/4-1/3 c cornstarch (I don't like runny pie). Poured said mixture into the bottom piecrust.
Put on the top crust - dock the top, and seal the edge (VERY classy looking, right?) I clearly needed more cherries, it was a sad, flat pie.
And here is our finished product. A bit sad. A bit pale. And WAY tart. Apparently, 1/2 c of sugar did not suffice. You HAD to put ice cream on it. :) So, I will know for next time - tart cherries require about 3/4 - 1 c sugar. And I may add a drop or two of red food coloring to the filling, it is a rather pinkish shade. But, it had a nice cherry flavor and seemed to do the trick. I will say, however, that this pie crust just can't compare to homemade, or at least, a more premium pre-made crust. It has a weird aftertaste, I can't quite put my finger on it. Next time I have a crazy craving, I must take the extra bit of time to just make a crust. Duly noted to self.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mmm. Pie. Cherry is a good call-- so often I feel like we get trapped in the apple or pumplin rut. Always good to keep the desserts on a steady rotation.