ArjaysPies | Double Chocolate Cherry Pie

Every Year Jackson County, holds a county fair at the Expo in Central Point, Oregon. It has Fair Rides, Livestock Competitions Live Concerts and my personal favorite the Open Class Baking Competition. With the current pandemic occurring I am unsure if our state fair will be happening this year as other events such as Ashlands Cheese Festival and the Pear Blossom Parade have already been canceled.

Even If I can't compete this year in the baking competition I still would love to share with you this years Pie Lineup.

This months pie is the Double Chocolate Pie which kinda speaks for itself. The Chocolate sauce was a basic ganache but I won't judge if you opt for Hershey's Syrup or another similar premade product.

Pie Lineup

01: Apple | Icebox Nogada Apple Pie (Apple Gelee, Nogada Cream, Pate Brisee Crust)

02: Berry | Marionberry Pie with Lemon Zest Crust

03: Cherry | Double Chocolate Cherry pie

04: Peach | Peaches and Cream Pie (Hoosier Sugar Cream Variant)

05: Other | Bacon Bourbon Pecan Pie 

Ingredients

Crust

• 3 C AP Flour
• 1 T Salt
• 2 T Brown Sugar
• 1 C Butter Flavored Shortening (Or prefered fat)
• 1/2 C Water
• 1/4 C Choc Powder
• Pinch Cinnamon
• Pinch Nutmeg

Filling

• 6 C Cherries (Fresh or Frozen)
• 1/2 C water
• 2 Tb Lemon Juice
• 1/3 C White Sugar
• 1/3 C Brown Sugar
• 4 T(1/4 C) Cornstarch
• 1/4 t Almond Extract

Ganache

• 1/2 C Heavy Cream
• 1/2 C Bakers Chocolate

Procedure

Step 1. Dough

If you have not made a chocolate pie crust don't worry its really easy. Using either the recipe above or your own personal favorite add about 1/4 C of Cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. The crust should appear tinted dark and smell like cocoa. Now dark chocolate is slightly bitter so make sure to add a bit of sugar to the crust to balance it out. I used light brown sugar but any darker sugar such as Dark Brown or Turbinado ,(or even Piloncillo or Cassonade if you have it), would work for the crust. For the crust I also added some warm spices to round out the flavor but these are optional. Mix together the dry ingredients,  cut in the fat and add the water to the dough until it has formed into a ball. Shape gently into a disk, cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

Step 2. Filling

 The Filling is also fairly straight forward. In essence you need to heat up the cherries and mix in a standard slurry. Add the Cherries, water, sugars, and Lemon Juice to a pan on medium heat. The sugars and acid will help break down the cherries through a process known as Maceration. Allow the Filling to come to a simmer before adding the almond extract and the cornstarch. The Cornstarch will mix with the water thickening it. NOTE: Cornstarch has a shorter lifespan then flour when it comes to thickening so make the filling the same day that you bake the pie. Allow this to thicken while you finish prepping you pie crust.

Step 3. Crust

Roll out the dough on a flat surface so that it is a couple inches longer then the shell you wish to use. Gently lay it in the pan and cut off any excess leaving about an inch and a half for folding over.  

Spoon the cherry filling into the pie crust being careful not to get the juices on the ends of the crust. spread the fruit evenly over the pie.

Now traditionally Cherry pies are served with a Lattice but feel free to experiment with any type of top crust you would like. That being said We will be putting a chocolate sauce over this so try to avoid large negative spaces in your design. 

To make a traditional lattice roll out the remaining dough into a rectangle and take a Paring knife, (Or a fluted pastry cutter if you have one), and cut into 1 inch wide strips. Now I used a fork to make a basic fork crimp on the surface of the lattice strips to give it a "Ribbon" look but it is perfectly fine or acceptable to use plain unadulterated dough strips. Began interweaving the strips. This can be time consuming but a great tip is to pull back alternating strips, lay the new strip across the shell and put back the strips and then repeat. This way you are not constantly lifting multiple strips one at a time. 

Trim the strips and fold over the hem of the bottom crust sealing the ends of the strips into the rim of the pie. I like to use a fork crimp here to seal the pie but a standard finger crimp also works. 

Lastly for extra crispness I created a basic egg wash to brush over my pie. Simply mix 1 egg with a dash of milk or water. After that sprinkle with sugar either granulated or if you have it a clear sanding sugar or similar. Now we're ready for baking

Step 4. Baking and Ganache

Pop the Pie into a  preheated 400F/200C oven for about 45 Minutes. While your pie is cooking let's work on the Ganache. Now Ganache sounds scary but its a simple chocolate sauce that's used in a variety of desserts. For the consistency we want you will need equal parts heavy whipping cream and good quality baking chocolate. Add your cream to a small pan on low heat and bring to a low simmer. While you cream is heating take you bakers chocolate and cut into small pieces to make it easier to melt. If you are using bakers chips you should be fine. Once the cream is warmed pour over the chocolate and whip together. The ganache will be a bit thin but will thicken as it cools allow it to cool at room temperature 

One the pie is done allow it to cool on a rack for about 10-15 minutes. While you are waiting place your ganache in a pastry bag, (or a ziploc baggie if you do not have one), and chill in the fridge. Once the pie surface has cooled a bit. Drizzle the Ganache over the surface of the pie.

Step 5. Enjoy

And there you go. A double chocolate cherry pie. If you wanted to have fun with it you could seal the pie crust with ganache like I did with lemon curd in my Lemon Claro pie or create a Triple Chocolate pie by creating a white chocolate ganache (3/1 Chocolate to Cream). I did not serve my pie ala mode but I would recommend a french vanilla or lighter ice cream to pare with the more heavier flavours of the pie. 

Anyway, please comment down below if you used my recipe and let me know how it turned out or if you have any tips, suggestions, or ideas for future posts. 

Happy Baking!