Never-Tell-A-Lie Cherry Pie

UPDATED 02/15/2021

According to folklore, George Washington could not tell a lie.  The cherry tree story has been used by parents for generations to teach kids about honesty, even though there is no actual evidence to support it. Honesty is a quality Americans USED TO value considerably, and who better to set a good example than the President of the United States?  As you peruse this list of famous presidential lies, below, you may decide to stick with the unproven folklore of George Washington and the cherry tree to teach kids about honesty!  

• I have previously stated and I repeat now that the United States intends no military intervention in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy
• I am not a crook.  President Richard M. Nixon
• We did not -- repeat -- did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages, nor will we. President Ronald Reagan
• I did not have sexual relations with that woman.  President William J. Clinton 
• Donald John Trump told 3,000+ lies. DON'T GET ME STARTED!

Never-Tell-A-Lie Cherry Pie

This pie is delicious...and that's the TRUTH!

Crust

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt

11 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp. pieces

7 Tbsp. cold butter-flavored shortening

4 to 5 Tbsp. ice water

Place flour, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor with metal blade.  Pulse several times to combine.  Add butter; pulse 5 times, 1 second each.  Add shortening in several large pieces; pulse 5 times, 1 second each. 

Transfer mixture to large bowl.  Sprinkle with ice water.  Gather together quickly with hands, knead 4 or 5 times, and press into a disk.  Wrap with plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. (Dough should have visible streaks of butter and shortening; it should not look homogenized).

Meanwhile, prepare filling:

Filling

6 cups fresh or canned (unsweetened) pitted cherries

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup quick cooking tapioca

2 Tbsp. butter

Toss cherries with sugar and tapioca.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400°F.

Weigh pie crust.  Divide into 2 portions, 3/5 and 2/5.  Roll 3/5 dough portion into 10-in. circle between 2 sheets wax paper that is lightly dusted with flour.  Peel back top sheet.  Place 9-in. pie plate on top of crust and flip over.  Peel back 2^nd sheet of wax paper, pressing crust gently into dish and allowing extra crust to hang over edges.  Fill crust with cherry mixture; dot with butter.

Roll 2/5 dough portion in same manner as 3/5 dough portion, peeling back top layer of wax paper and flipping over onto pie before peeling back second layer of wax paper.  Turn edges under and crimp as desired.  Cut 4 small slits in top of pie for steam to escape. 

Decorating and Baking

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Coarse (sanding) sugar

Use a soft-bristled pastry brush to gently brush crust with egg and water mixture.  Sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar.

Place pie on foil-lined baking sheet on bottom rack of 400ºF oven.  Bake 30 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350ºF and continue baking 30 minutes, covering edges of crust with foil if necessary.

Let cool 2 hours before slicing. 

TIP:


If fresh cherries are not available, I prefer TRADER JOE'S Dark Morello Cherries.  Three (24 oz.) jars, drained, is about 6 cups.