I love a cherry pie. I love beers that have cherry notes and essences. I took these two loves an wanted to make a better cherry pie. We’ve all know about those pies that use the cherry pie filling from the can. The filling was always to gummy for me. To thick and not natural. Nor was the flavor of cherry dominating the mix… I want a cherry pie, that tastes like cherries and a kriek together. They have a slight almond flavor (eating cherries fresh and spiting out the stones, I always got an almond like flavor, that works so well with cherries because if it) that needed to be added to the pie.
Another flavor that helps pop cherries, and most fruit, is citrus. Orange Cherry, Lemon Cherry, Line Cherry are all flavors we are used to tasting. By adding coriander, you get a citrus bite, but also a touch of earthy, aromatic herbal essence, that some might taste in a Kriek or Flemish Red Ale.
I wanted to encapsulate a cherry pie recipe, finding inspiration from all the cherry pies I’ve ever tasted, all the Krieks I’ve enjoyed here and in Belgium, while not forgetting the Cherry infused Stouts and Flemish Red ales, along with how I think, to create the ultimate cherry pie recipe.
The addition of almonds and coriander to the crust, enhances the natural flavor of the cherry, that definitively cherry aroma on the top of your mouth. when I taste cherries, I also taste the pit or stone in the fresh cherry. The fruit surround the stone fruit with the flavors that help give it, its unique flavor structure that taste of summer. Almond is very common, as you also see many recipes that highlight cherries, also use almond, in a nut format or a extract | liquor. Coriander, adds a nice bite of citrus, brightening the palate when mixed into the flavor mix.
To add more cherry depth of flavor, one would ultimately get sour cherries, sometimes called pie cherries. In Belgium, they have a special sour cherry variety that is used in many Krieks, the Schaerbeek Cherry These are sadly a breed of cherries, that for consumers are harder and harder to find. Some farmers market’s have sour cherries, on the right day in late May to yearly June. To recreate that distinctive flavor element, I use but dried sour cherries and sour cherry jam. An added result, they help thicken the pie, and give it some of that texture that a canned cherry pie filling pie will give, but not being all cornstarch gooey. I then add a Flanders Red ale, to add acid to the recipe, helping enhance the flavors, but also to enhance the flavors in the style of beer. Using this beer as an ingredient, not just to add beer to a recipe, makes this pie standout. The notes of strawberry, cherry, plum and prune combine in this style of beer and add those dried fruit notes to this pie. I also add more than one thickener to this fruit pie to help hold the juice of the cherries and the moisture of the beer in suspension, making sure the pie crust stays crisp, while not get soggy.
This recipe is the culmination of all these ideas, wants and desires for a better cherry pie. When you bake this Beer Pie, please share your thoughts below! Here is the recipe for a regular pie crust. If you’d like to make a this pie recipe with a different crust, check out the Pie Crust Selection.
Makes: 1 cherry pie, feeding 8 – 12 pieces, depending on size of slice
Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Pie with Almond Coriander Crust
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Pie with Almond Coriander Crust is a cherry pie enhanced with a Flemish Red Ale to add a pop of acid and fruit flavor, making a truly special Beer Pie.
Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Pie with Almond Coriander Crust
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Pie with Almond Coriander Crust is a cherry pie enhanced with a Flemish Red Ale to add a pop of acid and fruit flavor, making a truly special Beer Pie.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flours (All purpose | almond | barley) by weight (setting the bowl onto a digital food scale, zeroing out the scale and weigh each flour, zeroing out the scale each time), sugar, coriander and salt; fit with the lid and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
Remove 3 tablespoons of this mixture and set aside in a small bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter in an even layer across the flour mixture, seal with a lid and pulse in short bursts, until the butter and flour have become small pea-size pieces. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour and lightly pulse to combine. Drizzle in the ice-cold Flanders Red Ale evenly across the mixture and lightly pulse together, until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
Divide the pie dough into two equal-sized portions and wrap in plastic wrap, forming into the shape of a disk. Place in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours, letting the flour evenly absorb the beer.
Remove one of the pie disks from the refrigerator, unwrap and place onto a lightly floured work surface (using the reserved flour mix). Using a rolling pin (or a 22-ounce cold bottle of beer), roll out the dough to a 12-inch round circle. Starting at the farthest edge, carefully roll the dough around the rolling pin toward you and then unroll the dough into a 9 inch pie dish, skillet or sauté pan.
Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Filling Directions:
Place the dried cherries into a small bowl and cover with the Flanders Red-style beer. Let sit for at least an hour, preferably overnight, as the pie dough is resting.
Preheat the oven to convection roast (if available) or to 425°F | 218°C. Meanwhile, pit the cherries into a medium-size bowl, mixing in the sugar, sour cherry jam and salt. Let sit until the dried cherries have plumped up and absorbed some of the beer. Mix the soaked dried cherries into the fresh cherries. In another bowl, mix together the corn starch, tapioca and all-purpose flour. Stir some of the juice from the cherries into the flour mixture, using a whisk to remove any lumps. Stir this into the cherry mixture. Pour the cherry filling into the pie crust, making sure there are no holes or cracks, or the juice will leak into the bottom of the pie dish. Roll out the remaining pie crust as the top piece.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edge of the pie plate crust with cream, then unroll the pie crust on top, centering on the pie plate. Press to seal the two crusts together, then, using a paring knife, trim any remaining crust to just the edge of the pie plate. Lightly brush the remaining cream evenly over the surface of the pie crust, then sprinkle with the large crystal sugar. Cut a few slits into just the top crust, to allow steam to escape (try cutting into cherry or goblet shapes).
Place the pie onto a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil or a Silpat, and place into the center of the oven. Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425°F | 218°C, then drop the temperature to 375˚F | 191°C, while leaving the pie in to cook for another hour and 15 –2 0 minutes. The goal is to see the pie filling bubble and come to a temperature of at least 200°F | 93°C, causing the thickeners to react and thicken the pie filling.
Once this temperature is reached, remove the pie from the oven and let cool for at least 4 – 6 hours, allowing the filling to set. Serve a slice of pie straight, with a simple whipping cream or vanilla bean ice cream, and pair with an amazing Kriek.
Recipe Notes
Other Beer Pie Recipes:
Banana Hefeweizen Cream Pie
Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Pecan Pie
Chocolate Coconut Porter Cream Pie
Irish Car Bomb Pie
Old Foghorn Barleywine Pumpkin Pie
Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Pie with Almond Coriander Crust
, zeroing out the scale and weigh each flour, zeroing out the scale each time), sugar, coriander and salt; fit with the lid and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
, zeroing out the scale and weigh each flour, zeroing out the scale each time), sugar, coriander and salt; fit with the lid and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
