Conundrum Pie

When I made this pie, there really was a conundrum on had.  Hence the name!

I was planning on making sour cherry pie because it is my absolute favorite, but then I went to pull the sour cherries I had saved & frozen I realized I was short about 3 cups!  The conundrum….  What was I going to do.

I did what any creative cook would do.  I looked to see what fruits I had sitting around that I could throw in & prayed it would taste just as good.

Lucky for me it did!  So I wrote down the recipe & can now share it with you.

All that being said, I bet this recipe would work with other fruits you have sitting around too, although I truly believe sour cherry pies are one of the best pies around, this one may have topped it!  I need to do a taste test next time.

I use the Grandma’s Pie Crust recipe from Cup4Cup.  It’s gluten-free & still absolutely perfectly crispy & yummy!!

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Filling:

1 Cup sugar

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 Cups Sour Cherries (whole, pitted)

1 Cup Sweet Cherries (whole, pitted)

2 Cups Strawberries, sliced

1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 Tablespoon Milk

1 Tablespoon Course Sugar

Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Make the crust dough according to the Grandma’s Pie Crust Recipe.
2. Preheat oven to 425º F.
3. Mix all the filling ingredients together except the butter, milk or course sugar.
4. Roll out a portion of the dough (1/3-1/2 of the recipe) to a 12 inch round.
5. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan.
6. Roll out the second half.
7. Add the filling to the pie pan.
8. Take the 1/2 inch cubes of butter and scatter them around the filling.
9. At this point you can choose to get fancy with the dough or not.  The only thing you need is a few holes on top to let the pie breath.  You can make some slices, use cookie cutters like I did, or make a pretty weave.  It’s your choice!  Whatever you choose, just place the second crust on top of the filling & butter.
10. Brush the crust with milk just to wet it enough for the sugar to stick.
11. Sprinkle with sugar.
12. Place the pie on a rimmed backing sheet.  I usually line mine with aluminum foil to save myself on the cleanup.
13. Then place it in the oven for 15 minutes.  Once 15 minutes is up, lower the oven temperature to 375º F for another 45-60 minutes.
14. Watch the edges of the pie.  If they look like the are getting too dark, cover them with foil while keeping the middle uncovered.
15. The pie is ready when the crust is nicely golden brown & the filling is bubbling.
16. Serve warm or cold.  My hubs loves it a little warm with super rich vanilla ice cream.
17. Enjoy!