Crunchy Streusel Cherry Pie

Recipe:

Ingredient Notes:

• Cherries. As mentioned, you can use either fresh or frozen cherries. Just make sure they are pitted (stones removed). If you’re using frozen cherries, there is no need to thaw them beforehand – the instructions below are written specifically for baking straight from frozen.
• Starch. This recipe calls for cornstarch. If you only have potato starch on hand, you can use it instead, but cut the amount in half.
• Butter. For both the crust and the streusel topping, use high-quality unsalted butter with at least 80% fat content. High-fat butter is the secret to getting that ultra-flaky, melt-in-your-mouth shortcrust texture.
• Sugar. Regular granulated white sugar works perfectly fine here. However, if you want to elevate the crunch of your streusel topping, try swapping it with light brown sugar – its crystals hold up better to high heat, adding an extra layer of texture and a subtle caramel note to the baked pie.
• Flour. Standard all-purpose flour (with around 10% protein content) is all you need. Definitely skip strong bread flour – the higher gluten content will make your shortcrust pastry tough instead of tender.
• Eggs. You will need one medium-to-large egg (weighing about 50-55g without the shell). For an even richer, more tender crust, you can substitute the whole egg with egg yolks. Since an average yolk weighs around 18-20g, using 3 egg yolks will be the perfect ratio for the rest of the ingredients.

Let’s start cooking!

In a saucepan, combine the cherries with the sugar without thawing them first. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Dilute the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water. Gradually add the mixture to the boiling cherries, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture thickens, then remove it from the heat.

Make the streusel. To do this, rub the butter with the flour, sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Make the dough. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again. Then, add the baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Gradually add the flour, kneading until the dough is pliable.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Then, remove the dough from the refrigerator, roll it out, and place it in the pan so that the sides are about 3 cm high.

Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Cover it with aluminum foil and weigh it down. I use dried beans for this.

Place it in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and take off the foil. Spread the filling over the crust.

Sprinkle the streusel on top.

Place the pan back in the oven and bake until done, about 25 minutes.

Let it cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

This Crunchy Streusel Cherry Pie recipe was checked, prepared and approved by Chef Tatyana Nazaruk - author of FlavorIt.com.
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