There is nothing sexier than cherry pie filling. You see tarts, pies, pastries, etc with bright red filling, only to take a big bite and be left with that less than satisfied feeling. There is a severe lack of acidity and “pop” in canned cherry fillings. If you have the time, this filling blows the canned stuff out of the water!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh, pitted Cherries
- 1 cup Sugar
- Juice of one Lemon
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of water
Note: I’m using ranier cherries, which are not the typical rich red, like Bing cherries are. If you’re using red cherries, you’ll get the traditional looking red filling.
- In a medium saucepan combine your pitted cherries, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a rolling boil all the while stirring, and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, continuing to stir.
- Once your cherries have simmered, combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Mix into your cherry mixture and stir, continuing to cook for another minute or two.
- Take off the heat and let come to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Good for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Additional notes: At first when you put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar into the saucepan it will seem very dry. Eventually you will end up with a lot of liquid, it will basically do a 180, going from “I’ve not got nearly enough liquid!” to “Uh, I think I have too much liquid.” It will all work out in the end, especially after you add the cornstarch.
