MOUNT VERNON CHERRY PIE
PG tested
This recipe — which cooks might have used at Mount Vernon — is based on one in Hannah Glasse’s 1747 cookbook, “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.” It was adapted by culinary historian Nancy Carter Crump. I substituted easier-to-find sweet cherries.
For crust
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pea-size pieces
¼ cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
5-6 tablespoons ice water
For filling
1 cup red currant jam 5 cups fresh sour cherries, preferably Morello, pitted 4 tablespoons arrowroot About 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling over crust (optional) ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon butter, chilled and diced
Prepare crust: Sift the flour and salt together. With a pastry blender or by hand, work the butter and lard into the flour until the mixture is well combined and resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Blend in about 5 tablespoons of water, mixing until the dough comes together. Add up to 1 more tablespoon if needed.
Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Wrap individually in waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 24 hours. Wrapped disks can be sealed in a plastic bag and frozen for later use.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie-crust dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick and place in a lightly greased pie pan, gently pressing it into the pan. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Heat red currant jam, stirring until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir into cherries, mixing together well. Combine sugar and salt, and stir into the cherry and jam mixture to dissolve. Taste the mixture and add more sugar if it seems too tart. Add arrowroot to cherries and mix until well combined.
Pour cherries into the prepared pie shell. Dot the butter over the filling. Place the top crust over the filling, folding the bottom edges up over the top piece of dough and then pinching together to seal. If desired, sprinkle additional sugar over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and set on a rack to cool thoroughly before slicing. The juices will thicken as the pie cools. Makes 1 double-crust pie. — mountvernon.org