Cherry Pie Filling from Frozen Cherries

I have always made cherry and berry pies with frozen fruit, not precooked, and they always come out runny. This year I decided I would try cooking the cherry filling ahead of time. It was a bit of extra work, but since I had time, it was totally worth it. This resulted the best cherry pie I have ever made.

3 lbs frozen sour cherries, pitted and thawed (retain the juice)
3/4 cup sugar (more if desired)
1/3 cup corn starch

Allow the cherries to thaw completely. Drain off the juice and reserve it.

In a Dutch oven, combine the cherry juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring well, until the sugar and cornstarch are totally dissolved and the mixture reduces and thickens substantially. Stir in the cherries and remove from heat.

To make pie, fill pie shell with the mixture and top as desired; bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees followed by 40-50 more minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes enough for one relatively deep 9-inch pie.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Streusel Top

I still have a few packages of strawberries in the freezer from last year. I figure we'll use them up just about in time to start picking fresh ones next month. Meanwhile, they go great with the rhubarb that is ready for harvest in my garden now. If you don't have strawberries, you can make a straight rhubarb pie that is also delicious - just be sure to add more sugar unless you like a rather tart pie. Either way, this is excellent with good quality vanilla ice cream.

If you are using frozen fruit, let it thaw entirely and then drain off the excess liquid if you want to avoid having an extremely juicy pie; you may wish to add another cup or so of fruit if you are doing this as it will be denser in volume.

1 9-inch pie shell
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose or white whole wheat flour
Dash of cinnamon
7 cups combined strawberries and rhubarb cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Shape the crust in a pie pan and prick all over with a fork, then stash it in the freezer while you prepare the topping and filling.

Using a pastry cutter or food processor, cut the butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon together until well combined and crumbly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the fruit, sugar, cornstarch and salt and stir until well combined.

Take the pie shell out of the freezer. Place the fruit mixture into it, evening it out, and then top with the streusel topping.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the crust is nicely brown and the pie is thoroughly bubbly. Let cool before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie in a relatively deep dish.

Freezing Cherries

Clarkdale Fruit Farms has been at the Greenfield Farmers Market the last two Saturdays with both tart and sweet cherries for sale. They thought they would have some more tomorrow as well, but it will most likely be the last of the them. Get there early if you want some!

Tart cherries are fantastic for pie. If you don't want to bake in the heat, freeze some now to make pie in the fall. You'll need around 2 quarts of cherries for a pie.

To freeze cherries:
1. Pit the cherries. You can do this with a sharp knife and/or your fingers, but if you're going to do very many I suggest you pick up a cherry pitter. I have an inexpensive handheld one that pits one cherry at a time; they also come in version that pit several at a time. Make sure you do your pitting over the sink or in a large bowl, as the juice splatters and stains.

2. Drain off extra juice in a colander (down the drain, or else drink it; there won't be a ton).

3. Pack the cherries gently into quart size freezer bags. Distribute the cherries so they form a somewhat flat package. Label and freeze.

You can bake the cherries without thawing, just allow a little more time in the oven. A little gentle massaging of the frozen package should loosen them up fairly well, and they can be further separated in a bowl.

Sweet Zucchini Custard Pie (aka John Henry Pie)

This recipes comes from my friend Beth Caissie, who tells me it was invented by her grandfather, John Caissie, and who swears by its absolute deliciousness. She calls it John Henry Pie in his honor. Use whatever pie crust recipe you like.

2 1/2 cups (about 1 large) cooked drained zucchini
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Squeeze extra liquid out of zucchini in a colander.

Blend zucchini, sour crea, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in blender until thick and frothy (or mash vigorously with a potato masher). Pour into an unbaked pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees (or until the custard has set and is beginning to pull away from the crust just a tiny bit). Beth says the pie usually needs to bake longer than this - sometimes up to an hour - but her grandfather always said 30 minutes so that's what she starts with.

Serves 6-8.

Thanksgiving Pie Ideas

Pie for Thanksgiving is a big deal in my family, especially on my husband's side. Not only does there need to be plenty for the big day, with family sticking around all weekend, there needs to be plenty of leftovers! Apple and pumpkin are non-negotiable necessities and not to be messed with, but we always do at least a couple other kinds as well and there is always room for a little creativity. Peach, blueberry, and cherry are all frequent additions to the table. Last year I made a triple cranberry meringue pie (I think I found the recipe on the New York Times website), which was quite tasty but involved too many steps to make again for a holiday where food prep time is at a premium. Here are some other ideas to jazz things up without straying too far from tradition:

1. For apple pie, add a handful of cranberries
2. For pumpkin pie, add minced candied ginger or substitute maple syrup for some or all of the sugar
3. For peach pie, add some minced fresh or candied ginger
4. For peach, cherry, or berry pies, top with streusel topping instead of pastry crust
5. Mix apple and pear in a pie, or apple, pear, and poached quince
6. Mix different berries in one pie (e.g. blueberry, strawberry, and blackberry)
7. For berry, cherry, or peach pie, add a teaspoon of almond or hazelnut extract to the pastry dough
8. Combine peaches with blueberries or blackberries

And, of course, don't forget to have plenty of Snow's or Bart's ice cream on hand for the a la mode part. Vanilla is classic, of course, but we have found that Snow's ginger goes really well with most fruit pies - skeptical relatives have been converted!

Peach Pie with Streusel Topping

Last September I sliced and froze nearly 16 quarts of peaches from Clarkdale. This weekend I pulled out a package and made this pie--and boy was it good! Be sure to drain the thawed peaches well or the pie will be very soupy.

1 9-inch pastry shell
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp white flour
1 tsp cinnamon (1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (1/8 tsp + 1/8 tsp)
4-5 Tbsp cold butter, in small pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 quarts frozen peaches, thawed and well drained

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Make the streusel topping: In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Pulse briefly. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Add the walnuts and pulse a couple times. They should be in small pieces but not totally ground. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the white sugar, corn starch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.

Place the peaches in a medium bowl and add the sugar and cornstarch combination. Stir to coat.

Places the peaches in the pie shell. Spread the streusel topping over the peaches.

Bake the pie for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-50 minutes until crust is nicely golden brown.

Mom's Pumpkin Pie

I have always made pumpkin pie by this recipe, which comes from my mother. It's very good, but I think this year I might experiment a little bit, perhaps starting by using local cream in place of the evaporated milk. This pie freezes nicely after baking.

2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin or other winter squash
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 12-ounce can evaporated whole milk
1 deep 10-inch pie crust or 2 shallow 8- or 9-inch crusts (unbaked)

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a large bowl with high sides, combine the pumpkin, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with an electric mixer on medium speed.

Add the eggs and evaporated milk to the bowl with the pumpkin and continue to mix on medium speed until everything is well combined.

Pour the pumpkin filling into the piecrust(s).

Bake the pie(s) for about 50 minutes, until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean. Cook on a rack.

Makes 1 deep 10-inch pie or 2 shallow 8- or 9-inch pies. Serves 8-10.