No Sugar Added Cherry Pie

Susan’s No-Sugar-Added Fresh Sour Cherry Pie
Makes one 9” deep dish pie.

Ingredients

1 qt Pitted Fresh Sour Cherries
(Note*** The sourer the better for this one! Bing Cherries work great, even if they aren’t totally ripe.)
[If you’re like me go ahead and get 2 quarts of cherries - you’ll want one quart to eat while you’re pitting the other!]

1 cup Sucralose
[That’s Splenda to you and me.]
(If you’re using sugar instead of artificial sweetener use 1 ½ to 2 cups and decrease the brandy to ½ tsp.)

¼ tsp Cardamom (optional)
[I invested in a bottle of cardamom and use it in several recipes – if this is the only thing you are likely to make that uses cardamom (i.e. you don’t cook with a lot of blueberries, cherries, peaches…) then leave it out.
It’s too expensive to buy for one or two recipes; trust me.]

¼ to ½ tsp Almond Extract

1 tsp Blackberry Brandy
(or other fruit flavored brandy of your choice – if you don’t have brandy or object to using it,
increase the amount of almond extract slightly or add another extract, such as vanilla.)
[Bing cherries and other types of firm sour cherries are not as juicy as the sweeter varieties so I use the alcohol in the
brandy and almond extract to help break down their tissues making them soupy enough to dissolve the Sucralose
completely before cooking. I found that artificial sweeteners tended to clump into a sticky mess in this recipe instead of melting until I discovered this trick.]

About 4 Tbls Flour or Cornstarch
[You will need to adjust this amount based on how much liquid the cherries produce.
It may take as little as two tablespoons of flour or more than four.]

Instructions

Mix pitted cherries with Sucralose. Add almond extract and brandy.
Stir thoroughly and set in the refrigerator to marinade while you prepare the crust and preheat the oven.
(You’ll add the flour after the cherries have had time to liquefy.)

Preheat oven to 450° with a cookie sheet on the center rack.
[You don’t need to do this before you get to this point – no need to cook your kitchen until you have to!]

This pie uses a lattice pie crust – make your own or cheat like I do and buy a package containing two deep dish crusts.
Let them thaw in the refrigerator until the dough is workable.
Roll one of the crusts into a ball and press it out with your hands or roll it into a thicker crust
(about twice as thick as it was originally). Cut it into thin strips to make the lattice top.
If you’re Linda, you might want to get fancy and weave the strips into an intricate open lattice.
I just place strips in one direction over the filled pie, then lay more strips perpendicular to them, gently pressing the joints.
I cut all of the strips (or most of them anyway) before I fill the bottom crust with the cherry mixture.
You shouldn’t have any crust left over. I have included a couple of simple recipe for made-from-scratch pie crusts if you want to use one of them. If you’re making your own you don’t need to preheat the oven until they have had time to chill. You may want to make them before making the cherry mixture. Let the shells and the cherries both chill for at least 30 minutes.

Now that the crust is ready to fill and the oven is warm –

Remove the cherry mixture from the refrigerator and add enough flour to thicken it slightly.
Adjust this to your taste. I prefer my pie to be a little on the soupy side, but if you like yours dry add more flour.

Place the strips across the top of the pie in an open lattice.

Bake in a very hot oven at 450° for about 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375° and continue baking for about 15 more minutes.

The pie is done when the crust is browned or when you can’t stand to keep it in the oven anymore because the smell is making you to drool like a St. Bernard in the summer!

Best served warm topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream (of course the sugar-free kind)!
Second-best with whipped cream or non-dairy topping.
[I can attest to the fact that it is still very good cold after sitting in the refrigerator for three days with no toppings at all!]

PIE CRUSTS

modified from 1976 “The Settlement Cook Book” , Third Edition, Simon & Schuster, NY.

Short Pastry Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ cup shortening
¼ cup butter
Ice water

Have all materials ice-cold. Sift flour and salt together.
Cut-in or blend shortening and butter into flour until particles are about pea sized.
Sprinkle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time stirring with a fork, just until the particles are moistened and stick together.
Chill for ½ hour or more. Roll ¼ to ? inch thick and line pie plate.

Flaky Pastry Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 ½ tsp salt
Ice water.
Follow directions above.

Quick Pastry Pie Crust
½ cup shortening
¼ cup cold water
1 ½ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Melt shortening, add water and mix with rest to a smooth dough. Chill before rolling on floured board.

To bake one of the above crusts for use with chilled fillings, prick the shell well to prevent puffing.
Bake in a very hot oven 450° 10 – 12 minutes.

Cool and fill.

Back To Sweets & Dessert Recipes Page


*The Corner Desk . Com* Susan’s No-Sugar-Added Fresh Sour Cherry Pie Makes one 9” deep dish pie. Ingredients 1 qt Pitted Fresh Sour Cherries (Note* The sourer the better for this one! Bing Cherries work great, even if they aren’t totally ripe.) [If you’re like me go ahead and get 2 quarts of cherries - you’ll want one quart to eat while you’re pitting the other!] 1 cup Sucralose [That’s Splenda to you and me.] (If you’re using sugar instead of artificial sweetener use 1 ½ to 2 cups and decrease the brandy to ½ tsp.) ¼ tsp Cardamom (optional) [I invested in a bottle of cardamom and use it in several recipes – if this is the only thing you are likely to make that uses cardamom (i.e. you don’t cook with a lot of blueberries, cherries, peaches…) then leave it out. It’s too expensive to buy for one or two recipes; trust me.] ¼ to ½ tsp Almond Extract 1 tsp Blackberry Brandy (or other fruit flavored brandy of your choice – if you don’t have brandy or object to using it, increase the amount of almond extract slightly or add another extract, such as vanilla.) [Bing cherries and other types of firm sour cherries are not as juicy as the sweeter varieties so I use the alcohol in the brandy and almond extract to help break down their tissues making them soupy enough to dissolve the Sucralose completely before cooking. I found that artificial sweeteners tended to clump into a sticky mess in this recipe instead of melting until I discovered this trick.] About 4 Tbls Flour or Cornstarch [You will need to adjust this amount based on how much liquid the cherries produce. It may take as little as two tablespoons of flour or more than four.] Instructions Mix pitted cherries with Sucralose. Add almond extract and brandy. Stir thoroughly and set in the refrigerator to marinade while you prepare the crust and preheat the oven. (You’ll add the flour after the cherries have had time to liquefy.) Preheat oven to 450° with a cookie sheet on the center rack. [You don’t need to do this before you get to this point – no need to cook your kitchen until you have to!] This pie uses a lattice pie crust – make your own or cheat like I do and buy a package containing two deep dish crusts. Let them thaw in the refrigerator until the dough is workable. Roll one of the crusts into a ball and press it out with your hands or roll it into a thicker crust (about twice as thick as it was originally). Cut it into thin strips to make the lattice top. If you’re Linda, you might want to get fancy and weave the strips into an intricate open lattice. I just place strips in one direction over the filled pie, then lay more strips perpendicular to them, gently pressing the joints. I cut all of the strips (or most of them anyway) before I fill the bottom crust with the cherry mixture. You shouldn’t have any crust left over. I have included a couple of simple recipe for made-from-scratch pie crusts if you want to use one of them. If you’re making your own you don’t need to preheat the oven until they have had time to chill. You may want to make them before making the cherry mixture. Let the shells and the cherries both chill for at least 30 minutes. Now that the crust is ready to fill and the oven is warm – Remove the cherry mixture from the refrigerator and add enough flour to thicken it slightly. Adjust this to your taste. I prefer my pie to be a little on the soupy side, but if you like yours dry add more flour. Place the strips across the top of the pie in an open lattice. Bake in a very hot oven at 450° for about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° and continue baking for about 15 more minutes. The pie is done when the crust is browned or when you can’t stand to keep it in the oven anymore because the smell is making you to drool like a St. Bernard in the summer! Best served warm topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream (of course the sugar-free kind)! Second-best with whipped cream or non-dairy topping. [I can attest to the fact that it is still very good cold after sitting in the refrigerator for three days with no toppings at all!] PIE CRUSTS modified from 1976 “The Settlement Cook Book” , Third Edition, Simon & Schuster, NY. Short Pastry Pie Crust 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt ½ cup shortening ¼ cup butter Ice water Have all materials ice-cold. Sift flour and salt together. Cut-in or blend shortening and butter into flour until particles are about pea sized. Sprinkle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time stirring with a fork, just until the particles are moistened and stick together. Chill for ½ hour or more. Roll ¼ to ? inch thick and line pie plate. Flaky Pastry Pie Crust 2 cups flour 1 cup shortening 1 ½ tsp salt Ice water. Follow directions above. Quick Pastry Pie Crust ½ cup shortening ¼ cup cold water 1 ½ cup flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt Melt shortening, add water and mix with rest to a smooth dough. Chill before rolling on floured board. To bake one of the above crusts for use with chilled fillings, prick the shell well to prevent puffing. Bake in a very hot oven 450° 10 – 12 minutes. Cool and fill. Back To Sweets & Dessert Recipes Page**