Double-Crust Sour Cherry Pie

This summer cherry pie harnesses the natural juices of cherries to make a fool-proof, jammy cherry filling.

Proper cherry pie is a highlight of my summer. I make it at least once a summer from fresh cherries. It’s a little bit of a project, as fresh cherries require pitting - quite a messy job - but it’s a nice ritual for me to be covered in berry juices at least once during the summer! Pitting cherries is quite easy really, just tedious, but much faster when you elicit help from others. Frozen cherries are just as effective, so feel welcome to take that route instead. The main issue with cherry pie is moisture content. Cherries vary enormously in how juicy they are, which can be challenging when you’re trying to bake a pie pastry to a beautiful crisp. My solution is to macerate the cherries in sugar to draw out their juices. These juices are then reduced down to a thin syrup. If that sounds technical to you, let me reframe it: you’re just boiling the juice for about 10-15 minutes on the stovetop! Not too challenging, but the results are guaranteed to be jammy, tangy and packed with the essence of summer cherries. You must enjoy it with vanilla ice cream. Let’s go!