Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

champion cherry pie

(2 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Judi Harris-Nulle
Montana City, MT

I made this for the Jefferson County Fair in Boulder, MT this past weekend (8/27/11). It won a Champion ribbon.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

We can see why this is a champion cherry pie. It is sweet and tart, with a soft oozing cherry center... just heavenly. The golden and flaky crust is also pretty easy to make. A great dessert when fresh cherries are in season. Yum!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield 8 serving(s)
prep time 1 Hr 30 Min
cook time 55 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For champion cherry pie

  • CRUST
  • 12 Tbsp
    (1 1/2 sticks) very cold margarine
  • 3 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1/3 c
    very cold crisco shortening
  • 6 to 8 Tbsp
    (about 1/2 cup) ice water
  • CHERRY FILLING
  • 4 c
    pitted cherries
  • 3 Tbsp
    minute tapioca
  • 3/4 c
    sugar
  • 1/4 tsp
    almond extract

How To Make champion cherry pie

  • Pitted cherries and sugar in a clear bowl.
    1
    For the cherry filling: Mix all ingredients and set aside while making crusts.
  • Diced margarine on a blue plate.
    2
    For the crust: Dice the margarine and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.
  • Flour, margarine, and shortening in a clear bowl.
    3
    Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the margarine and shortening.
  • Margarine and shortening pulsed to the size of a pea.
    4
    Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the margarine is the size of peas.
  • The dough forming in a food processor.
    5
    With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.
  • Dough on the counter ready to chill.
    6
    Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Rolled out pie dough in a pie plate.
    7
    Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Spray the bottom of a pie pan with PAM Bakers. Fold the dough in half, place in pie pan. Repeat rolling process for the top crust.
  • Flour sprinkled in the bottom of the pie crust.
    8
    Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on the inside of the bottom crust.
  • Cherry filling poured into pie crust.
    9
    Fill crust with cherry mixture.
  • Top of pie crust added to pie with pie crust cherries on top.
    10
    Put other crust on top of the pie. Fold top crust slightly under bottom crust all around the edge of the pie. Add cherry crust cut-outs to edges of the pan. With extra crusts, make some cherry cut-outs and put them in a circle in the middle of the pie. Trim pie around the edges.
  • Egg wash being brushed on top of pie crust.
    11
    Beat one egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush mixture over pastry and edges. Sprinkle with sugar.
  • Slits being cut into top of pie crust.
    12
    Take a sharp knife and make four slits in the pastry to let out the steam.
  • Cherry pie baking in the oven.
    13
    Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then turn oven down to 350 degrees for the remaining 45-55 minutes.
  • 14
    If edges start to brown too quickly, place aluminum foil over them. Pie is done when golden brown and some filling may be bubbling out.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT