February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day. While the dish is credited to Queen Elizabeth the 1st of England, most Americans are more likely to think of George Washington and his cherry tree when thinking of this bubbly, tart dessert.
Little known is that the story of George Washington and his cherry tree is a complete fabrication. That didn’t stop many people from making paintings, decorative plates, and desserts around this famous fiction.
I wouldn’t know a tenth of what I do about pie making and baking in general if it weren’t for King Arthur Flour.
America’s oldest flour company is also the one I trust with every baking question I have had in the past or will ever have in the future. They broke me of my pie crust curse after a weekend at their Blog and Bake conference last June. When they asked for my help celebrating National Cherry Pie Day, I couldn’t possibly say no.
For National Cherry Pie Day I adapted KAF’s Presidential Cherry Pie recipe. So far we haven’t seen sour cherries down here in Texas, so I used sweet Bing cherries. Just as delicious, and deeply seductive, this is one cherry pie you’ll want to make again and again.
Homemade pie filling couldn’t be easier with King Arthur Flour’s Pie Filling Enhancer. In fact, it took me longer to pit the cherries (who would have thought I’d miss that little uni-tasker down here in Texas?) than it did to make the pie filling.
The pie baked up into perfection in just 35 minutes. Word of warning: when baking in a foreign oven, trust your instincts. KAF’s recipe calls for 40-45 minutes in the oven. I learned the hard way during the baking of this cherry pie that my sister’s oven runs 10 degrees hotter than the temperature on the display, resulting in an overdone edge – even WITH the fabulous silicone crust protector provided by KAF. That crust protector can only do so much – it’s not going to protect the pie when you bake it 10 minutes too long.
But I should have known better. I read King Arthur Flour’s The Baking Sheet on a regular basis, and they always recommend testing your oven with a separate oven thermometer, instead of trusting the display. If you’ve never heard of it, The Baking Sheet is King Arthur Flour’s bi-monthly newsletter, filled with 24 pages of recipes, tips, tricks, and all the secrets to baking you’d ever want to know. It’s edited by Susan Reid, whom I have personally met and baked with. She knows her stuff, I can tell you that much.
If you want to get in the know about all things baking, I highly recommend picking up a subscription. They even have a special deal going on right now – if you choose the special offer, you get a 1 year subscription PLUS every issue of The Baking Sheet since 2009!
Check out the giveaway below the printable recipe!
Presidential Cherry Pie
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
One prepared double pie crust, or your favorite pie crust recipe
5-6 cups fresh Bing Cherries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup Pie Filling Enhancer (see King Arthur Flour’s site for substitutes)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Prepare and roll out the bottom half of the pie crust. Line the pie dish with the dough. Prepare the pie filling.
Wash and pit the Bing cherries. In a medium bowl, combine cherries, 1/2 cup of cold water, sugar, cinnamon, and pie filling enhancer. Stir gently until all ingredients appear well mixed.
Add almond extract and salt, and stir again.
Pour pie filling into the pie dish.
To make a lattice pie, use a pizza cutter to slice strips into the top crust. Start with the smallest edge, and lay it towards the edge, where both ends of the strip will touch the bottom pie crust edge.
Continue lining the pie, using an over-under basket weave technique to line the pie.
Pinch and fold over the bottom crust overhang to secure the ends of each strip, then use your fingers and thumb to create a decorative edge (or use a fork to press an edge into the crust).
Cover the edge of the pie with a silicone baking shield or aluminum foil.
Brush milk onto pie crust strips and sprinkle with sparkling sugar if desired.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until pie crust is golden brown and filling is slightly bubbling.
Allow to cool and enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
To Celebrate National Cherry Pie Day King Arthur Flour is offering one lucky B&B reader a fabulous Pie Package!
King Arthur Flour Pie Package
Here’s what you have to do:
To get extra entries, you can:
Enter to win a Pie Package for National Cherry Pie Day from @KingArthurFlour & @BluebonnetBaker! http://su.pr/6sCXR1 #giveaway
You must leave a comment here telling me you tweeted.
Important Details:
-This giveaway is open to USA residents only and will run until Monday, February 27th at 11:59 am EST.
-Winner(s) will be generated via a random number generator software program. Winner will be notified via the contact email provided on the comment contact form.
-Winner(s) will have until 2/29/12 to claim their King Arthur Flour Pie Package or we will choose another winner.
-Winner will receive (1) issue of The Baking Sheet, (1) 5 lb. bag of King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour, (1) package of King Arthur Flour Pie Filling Enhancer, (1) Adjustable Silicone Pie Crust Shield, and (1) King Arthur Flour Pie Essentials DVD {Valued at over $50}. Product will be shipped by King Arthur Flour.
Disclosure:
This giveaway is provided to you by King Arthur Flour. The views and opinions expressed by Amber Bracegirdle on Bluebonnets & Brownies are my own, and based upon my experiences with King Arthur Flour products. I received the giveaway items for review free of charge.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Giveaway: King Arthur Flour & National Cherry Pie Day – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Baker Street
Saturday 25th of February 2012
OH YUM! This looks divine Amber!
Deana Thomas
Friday 24th of February 2012
The best cherry pie I've ever had was quite a few years ago and it had a cinnamon streusel topping.
Christy Howald
Friday 24th of February 2012
I like B&B on facebook!
Christy Howald
Friday 24th of February 2012
I like KAF on facebook
Christy Howald
Friday 24th of February 2012
My best cherry pie is the Triple Cherry Pie from the cherry spoon in Traverse City. So good!