Chad's Sherry Cherry Pie

Here at ZD it’s all about wine - 99% of the time. But in every man’s life, there must also come a time for pie. And so, Chad, ZD’s Cellarmaster and Resident Baker, went to work creating his very berry Sherry Cherry Pie.

Sorry, we would have saved you a slice but it was just too good…

Next time you’re at ZD, be sure to see if it’s a very Sherry Cherry day. You may get lucky. After all, shouldn’t every day be a Sherry Cherry day?

Crust Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Cold Butter
6 Tbs. Ice Water
2 tsps. Salt

Crust Preparation:
Combine flour, salt and butter and roughly chop together with two butter knives. While you are chopping the butter up into smaller and smaller pieces and mixing the flour around, add 6 tablespoons of ice water; two at the beginning, two in the middle of chopping and two more after the butter is chopped up into tiny bits. The cold water helps the flour and butter stick together. Next, kneed the pie dough until it holds together into a ball, slice it in half and wrap each half with plastic wrap. Put them in the refrigerator to cool.

Pie Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Corn Starch or Arrowroot
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Dry Sherry
1 tsp. Almond Extract
2 cups Pitted Cherries
1/4 cup Cherry Juice
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbs. Butter

Filling:

1. In a saucepan, combine arrowroot or cornstarch, salt and brown sugar.
2. Whisk in sherry, almond extract, cherry juice and lemon juice. Stir over low heat for about 10 minutes until mixture thickens.
3. While the mixture is thickening, pour one cup of cherries and 1/2 cup white sugar into a separate pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add 2 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot.
4. Remove the sherry/cherry juice mixture and whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter.
5. Once the cherries in the pot have slightly thickened, add the sherry mixture and stir to combine.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out one of the cooled dough balls flat and fit it into a buttered 9 inch pie pan.
3. Spread out the cherry filling into the pastry.
4. Roll out the remaining dough and cut it into 1/4 inch strips. Lay or criss-cross the strips in a lattice position, sealing the edges.
5. Brush egg white over the dough lattice.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the crust is golden brown.

Before you dig into dessert, need inspiration for dinner? Visit us online to view some of ZD’s favorite recipes.