Chokecherry Pie Recipe
Chokecherries are small, tart little berries that are loaded with antioxidants. They're not the easiest to find, however, and are typically only in season in the late summer or early fall. As the name suggests, they taste unbearably bitter if they're not ripe, so you'll want to cook with them only when they're ready. If you can't get your hands on chokecherries, this pie works equally well with blackberries.
Save for the star ingredient (specifically, the berries' juice), this pie comes together with just a handful of baking staples and in under an hour. The addition of almond extract in the filling pairs wonderfully with the fruit — in fact, many almond extracts are actually manufactured with cherry pits as they share some chemical properties. You can make this pie using store bought pie dough, pre-baked pie shells, or, if you're up for it, by making your own pie crust from scratch.
- pie dough for 1 double-crust pie (9-inch)
- 2 cups chokecherry juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Roll the pie dough into a large circle and line your 9-inch pie plate with this dough. Roll the second piece of dough into a large circle and cut into 1-inch strips — set aside. This will be used to lattice the top of the pie. Make sure you keep the dough refrigerated until you're ready to assemble, otherwise it will get too mushy.
- In a small bowl, combine the chokecherry juice, sugar, almond extract, cornstarch, and salt.
- Pour the berry mixture in to the prepared dough-lined pan.
- Make a lattice top over the pie and trim the remaining strips. Crimp the edges.
- Separate the egg yolk from the white, and combine the yolk with some water. Brush this wash over the surface of the pie.
- Cover the edges of the pie with foil so it doesn't burn.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Filling should be bubbling at this point.
- Remove pie from oven and let cool completely before slicing and serving.
| Calories per Serving | 254 |
| Total Fat | 8.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 20.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 42.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8.2 g |
| Total Sugars | 16.1 g |
| Sodium | 145.4 mg |
| Protein | 2.7 g |
