Evans (Sour) Cherry Pie Filling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have finished picking our favourite and tasty Evans cherries on the two trees in our side yard. What a lovely crop. I should have enough for about 4 batches of cherry jam (more about that in another post), several jars of pitted cherries to freeze for pie filling. I also like to can about 6 quart jars of pitted cherries for my German Streuselkuchen that I make later in the fall and winter. All these go into my pantry down in the basement.

I love my pantry. Memories of summer in pint and quart-sized jars are neatly lined up on the shelves. Jars of summer’s bounty: beautiful plump B.C. sweet cherries (a torte perhaps?), peach slices for our favourite spiced chicken dinner, plums for plum Kuchen, apples slices ready for a midwinter crisp or pie, and of course our favourite – Evans cherries (a variety of sour cherry found across North America and in my backyard… more tangy than a Montmorency sour cherry), both pitted and unpitted, safely preserved in quart jars, are all waiting to be served as a simple dessert or transformed into something delectable. The canned, pitted sour cherries are perfect for quickly assembling into sour cherry pie filling for tarts and pies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flavor of Evans sour cherries just sparkle in this pie filling – not too sweet, a bit tangy. If you do not have sour cherries in your pantry, either canned or frozen , pitted sour cherries from Poland and Hungary are available in most grocery stores. Both countries produce a quality canned sour cherry, but they do not have that special tang found only in the Evans cherries.

Today I am sharing my cherry pie filling which I use for pies, tarts, Danish pastries, and my favourite torte (the torte recipe is available in my book, Cherry Desserts Magic, available on Amazon). The pie filling is mainly cherries with a bit of sauce, unlike the commercial pie filling which is primarily sauce. The cherries are very showy in tiny tarts at Christmas. A friend requested the following recipe. Enjoy!

My Favourite Evans (Sour) Cherry Pie Filling:

4 to 5 cups pitted Evans (or sour) cherries, drained, reserving the juice

1 cup cherry juice

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and sugars.

2. Slowly whisk in the cherry juice.

3. Heat over medium heat until thickened and clear – it will be very thick.

4. Add the drained cherries and stirring constantly bring cherries back to a boil.

5. Remove from heat (Cherries are a very tender fruit and should not be overcooked).

6. Stir in the flavourings.

7. Let cool to lukewarm or room temperature before placing in unbaked 9 inch pie crust or unbaked tart shells.

Tip: I like to use this cooked pie filling in my cherry pies as this way I know that the consistency of the filling is such that it will cut nicely after the pie has been baked. Even warm the pie filling stays in the crust and does not run all over the dessert plate. This pie filling makes a neat slice of pie.

 

Tags: Cooked pie filling, Evans cherries, Evans cherry pie filling, sour cherry pie filling

Category: Baking Tips, Gluten Free, Pies & Tarts