Cherry Cream Pie with Bourbon

Last week we went to a little brewery down the road from the homestead. All the hustle and bustle of the workshops had come to an end, so we found ourselves sitting out back in the picnic area, unwinding with a bit of pizza and cider. This area is basically a big field that looks out over farmland with the mountains in the distance, with a single tree near the picnic table area. I’d never paid much attention to the tree all the other times we’d been there, but this time it was positively LOADED with ripe cherries. Like, the branches were bending with the weight of all th fruit it made. So, I got myself a to-go box and picked some cherries to take home. And then I got to work. First on this delicious cherry cream pie with bourbon, and then on some homemade cherry rhubarb soda, and a fruit tart. They all came out VERY well, and I’m sharing this one with you today because it’s hot and nothing beats a refreshingly silky cream pie in the heat!

You can make the crust from scratch as I have in the recipe below, or if you’re feeling wilted from all the sun, you can just use a store-bought crust. The pie filling is basically cherries cooked with whiskey, lemon, sugar, and other goodness until juicy and soft. Then you beat together mascarpone cheese, cream, and a few tablespoons of the cherry filling juice until you have a silky creamy spread. Then you just put the cherry filling in the pie crust, and top with the cherry whipped mascarpone, and there you have it. Cherry cream pie, aka a little bit of treasure in a pastry shell.

Also, my apologies for the late posting. We’ve been working in the garden like crazy getting it ready for…..our upcoming trip to Greece! Yes, we are heading there for a bit this summer and are BEYOND excited (!) We’ll be visiting my family there—my dad comes from a family of 8 and all but one of those siblings still lives in Greece, and all my cousins and their children are there, too. It will be SO fun to see everyone and get to spend time together, I haven’t been there for about 11 years. On a more serious note, I’ll also be getting some fertility treatments done in Athens, and I’m feeling really good about the doctor there compared to the ones I’ve seen here. Also, the treatments cost about one-fifth of what they do here, too, which is a godsend. I think it will be really nice to be with family while I’m diving back into the treatments for a bit, and also soaking up all the Greek food will be a real balm for the soul, too! That and this cherry cream pie 🙂

I hope you enjoy this pie, dear reader, and that you’re staying cool during all the heat waves that have been happening. Please, do help yourself to some pie!

Cherry Cream Pie

Filled with a layer of juicy cherries cooked with bourbon, and topped with a mascarpone & cherry whipped cream, this chilled pie is soon to be your new favorite. You can also used frozen cherries, too, if you don’t have any fresh ones on hand.

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Pie Crust

• 2 3/4
  Cups
  Flour
• 2
  Tablespoons
  Granulated Sugar
• 1/2
  Teaspoon
  Salt
• 8
  ounces
  Unsalted Butter very cold
• 9 to 12
  Tablespoons
  of Ice Water
• 1
  egg
• 1
  teaspoon
  milk

Cherry Filling

• 1 1/2
  pounds
  sweet black cherries
  pitted and halved
• 1/4
  cup
  granulated sugar
• 2
  tablespoons
  fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2
  tablespoons
  bourbon whiskey
• 1
  tablespoon
  amaretto liqueur
• 1
  tablespoon
  cornstarch
• Pinch
  of salt
• 1/2
  teaspoon
  powdered gelatin

Cherry Whipped Cream

• 8
  ounces
  mascarpone
  room temperature
• 1
  pint
  whipping cream
  cold
• 3
  tablespoons
  powdered sugar
• 3
  tablespoons
  reserved cherry filling liquid
  room temperature
• 1
  teaspoon
  amaretto liqueur

Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Using a box grater, grate the butter using the large hole setting of the grater above the bowl, stopping to stir and coat the butter bits in the flour mixture every 10 seconds or so. When all the butter is in, pinch the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles the texture of damp sand. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing it with a fork, until the dough just holds together when you squeeze a fistful of it in your hand.

2. Roll out the dough until it is 1 cm thick and transfer it to a greased 9-inch pie pan. Press the crust into the pan, trim off the excess leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the 1-inch overhang under the edge of the crust all the way around and pinch the edges. Poke the inside of the crust with a fork all over. Cover and place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease one side of a piece of tin foil and place it in the pie crust, greased side down, pressing it into the sides of the crust. Pour dried beans or place pie weights into the pie crust, pressing them gently into the sides of the crust a bit (this will help keep bubbles from forming and keep the walls of the crust from collapsing/shrinking.)

3. Place the pan on a lipped baking sheet and bake until the edges are juuust starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Then remove the pie and gently remove the tin foil + weights from the crust (if you lift the edges of the foil you should be able to get it out in one shebang). Place the crust back in the oven and bake until the bottom is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Cherry Filling

1. Bring everything except the gelatin to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until the cherries have softened and the mixture has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, reserve 3 tablespoons of the liquid from the cherry filling and set the liquid aside (you’ll put it in the cream filling later). Stir the gelatin into the cherry filling and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Cherry Whipped Cream + Assembly

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the mascarpone, whipping cream, and powdered sugar at medium speed until the mixture thickens and is able to hold a soft peak. Add the reserved cherry liquid and the amaretto to the mixture and continue beating until it holds a stiff peak.

2. To assemble, empty the cherry filling into the pie crust, and top with the cherry whipped cream. You can place some fresh cherries on top for garnish, too, if you’d like. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Cherry Cream Pie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 410
Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 18g113%

Trans Fat 0.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 6g

Cholesterol 88mg29%

Sodium 185mg8%

Potassium 156mg4%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 1030IU21%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 54mg5%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.