Recipe: Cherry Lime Pie

I don’t live in cherry country.  I never seem them at my local farmer’s market.  They are expensive in stores.  I’d imagine Louisiana’s climate just isn’t quite right for cherries (or that’s what I assume).  It’s for these reasons that it is a real treat to find cherries on sale at a grocery store.  To me, $1.99 a pound is a steal, and one I’m going to indulge in when I can.  This summer, Whole Foods ran bing cherries on sale all through the months of June and July.  And I purchased my fair share of pounds and pounds of cherries to enjoy.

I can’t have that many cherries in my house and not want to attempt a cherry pie.  The problem?  Everything I read stated that bing cherries were a no-no on the cherry pie front.  “Too sweet,” the cookbooks declared.  Hmmm…. What’s a girl to do?  Well, if the cherries are too sweet, is there a way to tart them up?  I looked at the limes in my refrigerator and gave it a go.  Here’s what I did.  I must say, this “recipe” is more of a process than a true recipe.

What we have here are 1 pound of pitted bing cherries, a lime, cornstarch, and a wee bit of sugar (just a tablespoon or two).   I had the sugar available in case I needed it.

The first thing I did was zest a lime.  I was looking for about a 1 1/2 tablespoons of lime zest.

Half of the lime was juice, and the juice was added to the cherries.  Then about a tablespoon of sugar was added.

I was considered if I’d have that wonderful juiciness of a cherry pie as well.  I couple tablspoon and a half (or so) of cornstarch went into the mix.  I just added cornstarch until things looked like it would make a nice, thick cherry type sauce in the filling.

Everything was placed into a handmade pie crust.  But a pack of frozen pie shells would work too. You’d just need both of them.  Follow the directions (I think you’re supposed to thaw them first), and place the cherries into one of the shells.  The other shell you’ll use in the next step.

Then, the rest of the pie crust dough was added to the top of the pie.   If using a thawed frozen shell, you want to remove the remaining shell to a really lightly floured surface (just enough flour for it not to stick), and roll it out to an even thickness.

Use a pair of clean kitchen shears to cut your pie crust. Even all around the edge.  You can use your fingers or a fork to pinch the edges of the crust closed.

I knew I needed to vent the pie so the sides wouldn’t explode while baking.  Usually, I just prick it with a fork.  This time, I used my seldom thought about mini-cookie cutters.  I bought a small set of cookie cutters when I first began bento.  Then quickly realized I just had not inspiration to use them.  Maybe I ought to make some mini cookies.  Hmmm….

I baked this pie using directions for many other pies I’ve tried in the past.  25 minutes at 425 degrees, then 30 minutes (or so) at 350 degrees.  Cover the edges of the pie crust if they look like they are browning too quickly.

While really tasty, this pie didn’t stand up on it’s own.  Until I refrigerated it. Then, it solidified and looked nice.  Either way, it was tasty.  I’m half tempted to purchase frozen sweet cherries and give this a try.  I love cherry pie.  This turned out really well without alot of added sugar.  The only other thing I’d like to do is try a different recipe for the crust.  This crust was TOO buttery (yes, it is true.  That can actually happen).

  Happy cooking this weekend everyone.  Hopefully, I’ll see you Monday with a bento!