Sweet Cherry Pie

Name: Sweet Cherry Pie
Yield: Serves 8 (Makes one 9-inch pie)
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces/354 grams), unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface; 1 teaspoon, table salt; 2 tablespoons, sugar; 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks), cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces; 1/2 cup, cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces; 1/4 cup, vodka, cold (see note); 1/4 cup, cold water; 2 , red plums, halved and pitted; 6 cups (about 2 pounds; 907 grams), pitted sweet cherries or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries, halved (see note); 1/2 cup, sugar (3 1/2 ounces/99 grams); 1/8 teaspoon, table salt; 1 tablespoon, juice from 1 lemon; 2 teaspoons, bourbon (optional); 2 tablespoons, instant tapioca, ground (see note); 1/8 teaspoon, ground cinnamon (optional); 2 tablespoons, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 large, egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Desserts or Baked Goods
Fruit
Dessert Pies
Fruit Desserts

Appears in Cook's Illustrated July/August 2010, America's Test Kitchen TV

Cherry season is a mere blip on the summer-produce radar. For a juicy pie with the best fruity flavor, we’d have to look beyond the cherry tree.

SERVES 8 (Makes one 9-inch pie)

TIME 2 hours, plus 1 hour 25 minutes chilling, 20 minutes freezing, 2 hours cooling

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