Oh nom nom nom -- Sour Cherry Pie with Leaf Lard Crust

[neotoma]

Success! The pie is fantastic, the crust is flaky and light, and I think I need to get a set of pie weights, because pre-baking the crust with white beans to weigh is down only kind of worked.

I followed this recipe -- New Twice Baked Sour Cherry Pie -- though without the brandy, and it is a fantastically tasty thing. The cherries are tart and tasty, as they are the same kind of tart cherries that are made into maraschino, but without the over-sweetness from the preservation, the flavor really comes through.

I used the leaf lard I rendered myself and it worked wonderfully, even though I don't have a food processor and had to cut all the fat -- the lard and the butter -- into the crust by hand. Also, I added a bit more instant tapioca than the recipe calls for, but I really dislike runny pies. This is not a runny pie; it is a fantastic pie!

Comments

[misbegotten]

That looks fantastic!

[neotoma]

It is amazingly tasty. Too bad that sour cherries have such a short season.

[isis]

You rendered your own lard? Yowza.

I have sour cherries in the freezer - leftovers from my pickings of a friend's tree. So far I've made ice cream and muffins from it - I think I have enough for two more things...

[neotoma]

Yes, I rendered some leaf lard back in March. It's actually pretty easy, once you've gotten your hands on the lard to start with.

Once rendered, I popped the lard into an ice cube tray to cool, and just kept the cubes in the freezer until I needed them.

The recipe I used calls for 2 lbs of pitted cherries, which is about 6 cups. It's really tasty!

[pleasance]

Yum! Your pie looks amazing! And I agree, runny pies - not as good as fantastic pies.