Dried Cherry Pie
recipe from William Woys Weaver’s Sauerkraut Yankees: Pennsylvania Dutch Foods & Foodways (2002)
1 pound dried cherries
1 pound brown sugar (suggest light)
pie crusts for top and bottom
Wash the dried cherries in cold water. Put them in a saucepan with water (doesn’t specify how much, I’d say just up to the level of the cherries as they sit in the pan, maybe less) and let them simmer over a moderate fire for ½ hour. Then add 1 pound of brown sugar and simmer it again for ½ hour. (We let this boil for a while longer on the stove because it appeared too thin, and also added 3 tablespoons of cornstarch after about 45 minutes, this will help to thicken the filling as well. What you’re going for is a thick, syrup-like consistency.)
After your pie dishes are lined with dough, add the cherry filling. Lay a top crust over this. (Feel free to poke a design of your choosing into the top crust with fork tines, we always do.)
Let the pies bake until the dough loosens from the dish, which should occur in about ¾ of an hour. Bake the pie at 425˚F for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350˚F for the remaining 35 mintues. Check the pie a little early to be sure the top crust doesn’t burn. Total baking time is roughly 40-45 minutes.
If you don’t have one, here’s a pie crust recipe:
Marilyn Knepp’s Pie Crust
4 cups flour, lightly spooned into cup
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 ¾ cups Crisco (no substitutions)
½ cup water
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 large egg
In a large bowl, stir together with a fork (or whisk): flour, sugar and salt; cut in the shortening until crumbly (if you have a pastry cutter this is perfect, otherwise, use a fork or a couple of knives). In a small bowl, beat together water, vinegar and egg, add to flour mixture and stir until all ingredients are moistened. Divide dough in 4 portions and, with hands, shape each in flat round patty ready for rolling; wrap each patty in plastic or waxed paper and chill at least ½ hour (or freeze any portion you will not use immediately). When you are ready to use the piecrust, lightly flour both sides of the patty and roll our on lightly floured board or pastry cloth. Keeping pastry round, roll from center to 1/8 inch thickness and 2 inches larger than inverted piepan; fold in halves or quarters, (you may want to spray the piepan with nonstick cooking spray) transfer to piepan, unfold and fit in loosely. Press with fingers to remove air pockets. Fill, flute edge and bake as directed in pie recipe. Prevent soggy bottom crust by baking pie on lowest rach in oven. Dough can be left in refrigerator forup to 3 days, or can be frozen until ready to use. (Thaw until soft enough to roll.) Recipe makes 4 pie crusts or 20 tarts.
