National Cherry Pie Day
Today, February 20th, is National Cherry Pie Day. I’ve never spoken with a pie maker who has any idea of who created this day but we all agree that it must have something to do with it being close to George Washington’s birthday and the tale of him chopping down the cherry tree. In the Northern Hemisphere, where I live, fresh cherries are not in season right now. In the Pacific Northwest they ripen in June and early July. Take heart as there are options for those who want to make a cherry pie tonight or any time of the year. If you don’t have fresh cherries, frozen cherries make a great pie filling, as do canned cherries.
Cherries are a very juicy fruit so be sure to add extra thickener. A 9″ shallow pie pan using about 4 cups of cherries, I suggest 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca. For 6 cups of cherries in a deep dish 9″ pie pan, I use 3 tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca. When using tapioca, be sure you see steady bubbling, coming through the vents or lattice work, at the end of the bake. Then let the pie set up for a few hours before cutting into it.
Here’s a link to my Best of Show Cherry Pie recipe which is also on page 233 in my book Art of the Pie, and a few cherry pies that I’ve made over the years.
Cherry Blossoms
Pitting bright red Montmorency cherries for a pie.
Dark red Morello cherries and a gluten free cherry pie
Pie and lattes? You bet!
Cherry Pie
Cherries and blueberries make a Bluecherry Pie.
Lattice strips can be thick or thin.
Breakfast of champions? Slices of Cherry Pie.
All gone!
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