Plated + Served: Cherry Pie with Vodka Crust

January14

Mama’s a sucker for canned cherry pie-filling.

Not all canned pie fillings, mind you, just cherry pie filling. Maybe it brings back memories. Or, perhaps, sometimes I just crave that sugar-smack tacky mouth feel that you get with canned pie filling.

Could also be that Sistie has been watching Twin Peaks on Hulu and, if you’ve ever watched the two-season series, you know cherry pie figures into the plot. Sort of.

A recipe I found in Cook’s Illustrated in 2010 inspired the vodka crust. Why vodka? Because gluten forms easily in water and gluten makes the crust tough. Vodka contains 60 percent water and 40 percent ethanol. By replacing some of the water with vodka, liquid can be added without making the crust tough. The alcohol (and flavor) burns off in the oven.

Cherries won’t be in season for a while now, but this will take care of any sweetie-pie craving you may have. Cheers!

 

 

Hi…
I’m Christina Chavez

I was a TV journalist for many years, but with a house full of kids I decided to come off the road, go to culinary school and follow my passion for cooking. Mama’s High Strung is all about food… everything from creative recipe ideas to some really cool kitchen gadgets and cooking tips. I live in Chicago, but I love to travel and write about my food discoveries! You can reach me by email: mamashighstrung@gmail.com