Celebrate the birthday of the Father of our Country with a patriotic cherry pie. The tale of 6-year-old George Washington chopping his father’s cherry tree with a new hatchet was a myth created by a biographer in 1806 to extoll our first president’s virtues, yet the story endures. It stands as a lesson in honesty for children to this day—and creates a great reason to eat some sweet fruit pastry.
We cannot tell a lie: The pie at the Wynn family’s eponymous Naples market is flaky and delicious. Here, Suzanne Llorca, bakery manager for Wynn’s Market (239-261-7157), shares Wynn’s recipe for cherry pie.
Pie Filling
- 4 cups halved pitted cherries
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries or halved strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Method:
In a large bowl stir the cherries, berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract. Set aside and give filling a chance to rest.
Pie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled butter
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup ice water
Method:
Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Using hands mix in the butter and shortening until resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in the ice water and mix until dough begins to form large clumps. Form into a ball and flatten into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. After chilled roll out on a floured surface and place rolled pie dough into pie pan. Spoon filling into the piecrust and dot with pieces of butter. Then form a lattice crust on top using remaining pie dough. Lightly brush the top with the egg and milk mixture and then sprinkle the top with almonds. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This allows the filling time to thicken.
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