Rustic Almond Cherry Pie

A rustic almond cherry pie is a free-form tart with a buttery, flaky crust and a filling of tart cherries bound with almond paste and a touch of sugar. The almond paste thickens the filling while adding nutty flavor that complements the fruit without overpowering it. Because there is no lattice or careful crimping, it comes together in minutes and still looks intentional on the table.

Ingredients for Rustic Almond Cherry Pie

All-purpose flour and salt form the crust structure. Cold butter creates the flaky layers. Ice water brings the dough together without warming the butter. Almond paste thickens the filling and adds warm spice notes that echo the fruit. Fresh or frozen cherries are the star, tart and bright. Granulated sugar sweetens the filling just enough. Lemon juice sharpens the cherry flavor. Cornstarch absorbs excess liquid so the crust stays crisp. Vanilla extract deepens the almond notes. An egg yolk mixed with water glazes the crust golden brown.

Why This Rustic Almond Cherry Pie Works

The crust comes together by cutting cold butter into flour until it resembles coarse crumbs, then adding just enough ice water to bring it together. This method keeps the butter cold and separate, so it melts in the oven and leaves behind air pockets. The result is tender and flaky, not tough or dense.

Almond paste is rolled flat and pressed into the bottom of the crust before the cherries go in. It acts as a barrier that keeps the crust from soaking up liquid, and it also thickens the filling as it bakes. Cornstarch reinforces this, absorbing any extra juice from the fruit so the bottom stays crisp and the filling stays thick enough to slice.

Because the pie is left free-form and unbaked on top, it bakes faster than a covered pie and the crust edges brown evenly. You fold the edges up and over the filling partway through baking, which cradles it and lets the fruit cook down gently. The pie is done when the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles slightly at the edges.

Mistakes To Avoid

Warm butter makes the dough tough and dense instead of flaky. Use butter straight from the refrigerator and add ice water, not room-temperature water. If the dough feels warm or soft, wrap it and chill it for 30 minutes before rolling.

Thawing frozen cherries releases too much juice and makes the filling runny and the crust soggy on the bottom. Use them straight from the freezer, and the cornstarch will absorb the liquid as they cook.

Skipping the almond paste layer or spreading it too thin means the crust will soak up cherry juice and turn soft and wet. Press the almond paste in an even layer that covers the entire bottom of the crust.

Baking the pie at too low a temperature or on the wrong oven rack means the bottom stays pale and undercooked while the edges burn. Bake on the lower rack at 400°F so the bottom crust browns before the edges char.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (156 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed (113 grams)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
• 1/2 cup almond paste (113 grams)
• 4 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add cold butter cubes and cut them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring gently, until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork it.
3. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap into a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick.
5. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess hang over the edge. Roll the almond paste thin between plastic wrap and press it into the bottom of the crust in an even layer.
6. Toss the cherries with sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and vanilla extract. Spread them over the almond paste in an even layer.
7. Fold the edges of the crust up and over the filling, leaving the center open. The crust should cover about half the fruit.
8. Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush it over the exposed crust.
9. Bake on the lower rack for 25 minutes. Fold any remaining flat crust edges up and over the filling so they do not brown too much faster than the center.
10. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling bubbles slightly at the edges. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.