Sour Cherry Pie

Last week I went to Concord to visit a little farm. The farm is owned by the father of a good family friend and his hobby is growing fruit and vegetables. Roy, the farmer, had some extra heirloom tomato plants for anyone who wanted them so my mother and I made the trek to the East Bay to take some plants off his hands. (I hope to feature these as ingredients later in the summer. He gave me several plants; Black Prince, Ping Pong Pink, Super Fantastics and Green Zebra.)

However the big find of the day was the sour cherry tree bearing lots of bright, red translucent fruit. The fruit was tart but had a wonderful sharp cherry flavor. My mother and I picked four boxes of them. I only took one box for myself but when I pitted and cleaned them I had 13 full cups of berries. I decided to use mine for cherry pies and since each pie needs 4-5 cups of fruit I set up two bags with four cups of pitted cherries each and save 5 cups for a pie to make that night.

I used the recipe for pie and crust from my favorite cookbook; "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman. (By the way he has also published "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" which would have crust alternatives if you are vegan.) I make the recipe for the double crust (page 686):

• 2 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 16 tablespoons of butter (cut into pieces)
• 6 tablespoons of ice water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in the container of a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal - about 10 seconds.

Place the mixture in a bowl and sprinkle the water over it then use a spoon or spatula to gradually gather the dough into a ball. If it seems dry add more water a 1/2 tablespoon at a time. When you can make the mixture into a ball with your hands, remove it from the bowl and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze dough for 10 minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes); this will ease rolling. (Dough can be refrigerated for a day or two and frozen indefinitely if you want to make it ahead.)

I preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I have the 5 cups of pitted, sour cherries in a bowl and I add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch (an alternate ingredient is 2 tablespoons of tapioca). When the crust is chilled I carefully divide it into two and roll out the bottom crust. Then I add the cherries and dot with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small bits. Next I roll out the top crust and decide to get fancy by doing a lattice top crust. To do a lattice top, I find a dish that is larger than my pie plate, place it on top of the dough and cut a clean circle of dough. From that circle, I cut it into strips - a bit less than half and inch wide.

I put the longest strip in the middle of the pie and the next largest strip across the middle of the pie perpendicular to the first. I keep alternating the strips and "weaving" the dough so that it alternates under and over. When I am satisfied that the top is nicely done I roll the edges and flute the crust to decorate it. I use the technique of pinching the dough between the side of my forefinger and thumb. I think it give the crush a nice almost shell-like edge. Before placing it in the oven, I gently brush the whole top of the crust with mild and dust with a bit of sugar.

I place the pie on a cookie sheet (because fruit pies tend to bubble over and it is a whole lot easier to clean a cookie sheet versus and oven). If you don't do the lattice top you will want to cut 2-3 two inch vents in the top crust. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-50 minutes or until the pie is golden brown.

Interestingly, the cherries were more tart after they were baked - with sugar - than they were fresh. But it was a delicious pie and satisfying to make it from tree to table.

Quick Berry Tart

Last weekend we were invited to dinner at a friends' home and I wanted to bring something for dessert. After a few very rare hot days in San Francisco, we were suddenly engulfed in the typical fog that follows. We were headed out to their house to enjoy some of the inland heat so I thought they would appreciate something freshly baked but summery.

First I made a sweet, buttery pie crust since it would have to chill a bit before rolling it out. In my food processor, I put 1 1/8 cup of all-purpose white flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar - I pulsed this mixture once or twice then added; 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter cut into pieces. I processed the flour mixture and butter for about 10 seconds - or until the consistency of cornmeal. I placed this mixture in a bowl and added 1 egg yolk and about 3 tablespoons of ice water - using a spatula I gradually mixed and gathered the mixture into the form of a ball. I then flattened the ball slightly, wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. (If the mixture still seems dry continue to add 1/2 teaspoon of ice water at a time until it comes together. Additionally, rather than placing the dough in the freezer you can place it in the fridge but do not use it for at least 30 minutes.)

As you wait for the dough to chill, wash the berries you plan to use. I happen to have some strawberries. I wash, dry and de-stem each of them then slice them thinly; I want to place them in a thin layer over the pastry. When I have two cups of the strawberries sliced, I toss them with a scant teaspoon of sugar and a small capful of orange liqueur (you can substitute a squeeze of fresh lemon juice). I set these to the side until the pastry is ready to be rolled.

I turn my oven onto 425 degrees to bake. After the dough has set for 10 minutes, I place the dough on a floured board and gently roll it out. It doesn't have to be beautiful but you want it to get it to be a rough 9- to 10-inch circle. You place the rolled pastry on the cookie sheet and gently fix any holes or cracks by pinching with your fingers or "filling in" with a bit of extra pastry from the edges. Then gently place the fruit on top of the pastry and leave yourself about an inch to an inch and a half of an edge. You will gently fold this over to keep the juices from spilling onto the cookies sheet. The whole thing should resemble a fruit pizza essentially.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and gently brush the exposed pasty and the top of the fruit all over. Bake the tart for 20-30 minutes; until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Remove from the oven and cool before serving. You can serve warm or at room temperature with a bit of whipped cream or ice cream.