CHERRY-VANILLA CREAM PIE

Cherry-Vanilla Cream Pie image

These days, truly delicious sweet cherries - firm, deep red, and unbelievably sweet - are pretty commonly available at certain times of the year. And when that time arrives, we suggest trying this pie, an almond-scented custard studded with cherries, nestled in a buttery crust, and crowned with almond streusel topping.

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 45

Ingredients

One single-crust pie crust recipe (such as our Classic Single Pie Crust)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups pitted, halved sweet cherries (See "tips", below.)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup diced almonds, blanched or natural, or 3/4 cup almond flour
a pinch of salt
glazing sugar or confectioner's sugar, for dusting
One single-crust pie crust recipe (such as our Classic Single Pie Crust)
7 ounces sugar
1 ounce King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
8 ounces heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
6 to 8 ounces pitted, halved sweet cherries (See "tips", below.)
2 ounces butter
2 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 ounces glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
1 7/8 ounces diced almonds, blanched or natural, or 2 1/2 ounces almond flour
a pinch of salt
glazing sugar or confectioner's sugar, for dusting
One single-crust pie crust recipe (such as our Classic Single Pie Crust)
198g sugar
28g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
227g heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
170g to 227g pitted, halved sweet cherries (See "tips", below.)
57g butter
57g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
85g glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
53g diced almonds, blanched or natural, or 72g almond flour
a pinch of salt
glazing sugar or confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 425
To prepare the crust: Roll the dough and fit it into a 9" pie pan, crimping the edges.
Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork or dough docker, and if possible, use a pie chain, pie weights or a nesting pan to line the crust.
Blind-bake the crust for 15 to 18 minutes, until it's lightly browned. Remove it from the oven, and reduce the oven heat to 400°F.
Allow the crust to cool slightly before removing the weights or the nesting pan. If you didn't line the crust and it puffed up, prick it gently with a fork to deflate it.
To make the filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and salt.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the cherries, and whisk them well. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then whisk again to ensure the sugar dissolves.
Pour the filling into the crust.
Sprinkle the cherries over the top. Some will sink - don't worry, they're supposed to.
Use a pie crust shield or aluminum foil to shield the top edge of the crust.
Bake the pie for 20 minutes. While the pie is baking, make the streusel topping.
To make the streusel topping: Combine the topping ingredients - by hand or food processor - until it begins to form crumbs.
By the time the pie has baked for 20 minutes, it will have just begun to set up around the edges. Carefully sprinkle the streusel over the top, leaving the crust shield in place.
Bake the pie for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until it's puffed, the crumbs are very lightly browned at the edges, and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads above 160°F.
Remove the pie from the oven, cool for about 2 hours, and sprinkle with confectioners' or glazing sugar before serving.
Cover and refrigerate any uneaten pie for up to 5 days.