So, I baked a pie. But not just any pie. The most delightful, plump cherry, balsamic vinegar and almond pie in a GF cream cheese pastry crust. But, it all started with another plan altogether. In fact, it all started with my copy of Tartine arriving in the mail.
I had been following Elisabeth Prueitt for some time on Instagram and became a huge fan of her baking. So, as soon as the book landed on my doorstep, I immediately, I wanted to make everything in it. And, given the time, I just may do that, so stay tuned. But because it’s spring and we’re in the middle of a very brief but heavenly rhubarb season, I immediately decided to make the strawberry-rhubarb pie.
On a gorgeous, sunny Sunday afternoon, I gathered up my ingredients, and created what I thought was a pretty awesome pie. And, as it baked, my kitchen filled up with the most amazing spring-like aroma that had my mouth watering. I couldn’t wait for this golden brown and bubbly perfection to come out of the oven. I had visions of my family enjoying it for dessert that evening with a big scoop of ice cream in our back yard and thanking me for making this treat.
But, then something happened, my husband and daughter both looked at the pie and, when offered a slice, their response was “no thank you”. What???? My family never turns down dessert, especially something homemade that smells so good. Granted, pie making is not my forte and my crimping skills leave a lot to be desired so, maybe this was not the best looking dessert I’ve ever made but I was sure that it would taste great. Were they sick or coming down with something? “Just one bite?”, I pleaded. My husband and daughter both took a bite, then apologetically said, “we don’t like rhubarb”. I starred at them in disbelief. How did I not know this?
I’ve eaten rhubarb desserts from restaurants and bakeries for years and never gave a second thought to the fact that my husband and daughter would order a different dessert. But, because I have never made anything at home with rhubarb in the past, I didn’t realize that they didn’t care for it. It’s too tart, it’s stringy, it has a weird aftertaste were all the comments that they made. Really? Could there be people on this planet who don’t like this stunningly gorgeous vegetable that pairs so beautifully with strawberries (and other berries) during the brief couple of months each year when their seasons intersect? But more importantly, could those people be related to me?
I threw my hands up in the air and stuck my fork into the pie as it was now all mine (okay so maybe I shared some of it with rhubarb appreciating friends first). Nonetheless, I was left with the inevitable hardship (wink) of having to devour the entire pie on my own. So, as my husband watched me work through every delicious morsel of it (and trust me when I tell you, it was awesome), he asked if I would be willing to make a cherry pie instead.
Mission accepted!
I then turned back to Tartine, specificially the GF recipes that they have been developing in recent years. If you follow Liz Prueitt on Instagram then you already know that she’s gluten intolerant. An ironic twist of fate given the fact that she’s a James Beard winning pastry chef. Liz generously shares GF recipes on her site as she develops them, along with tips on how to make them work, which I find to be incredibly helpful given what appears to be an ever growing epidemic of gluten sensitive (me included) and gluten intolerant people. So, when I saw a recipe for a GF cream cheese pie crust, I immediately wanted to try it and my husband’s request for a cherry pie presented me with the perfect opportunity.
Whole, plump, juicy cherries combined with sugar, balsamic vinegar, almond extract and lemon juice created one of the most delicious pie fillings that I have ever made. Not even remotely related to the gelatinous, overly sweet cherry pie filling that we’ve all had in the past. It comes together in a matter of minutes and can be made way in advance and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
And when this filling was surrounded by a flaky, tender, cream cheese crust and baked until my house smelled like heaven, it proved to be an unbeatable combination.
If you’ve ever had GF baking then you already know that often times it doesn’t measure up to the real thing. Well, I’m here to tell you that this crust is like no other GF crust I’ve ever tasted and it will be my go to pie crust going forwards. Nothing short of brilliant and definitely something you should try.
And the biggest compliment of all, came from my husband who excitedly dug into the pie and proceeded to work his way through it without ever knowing that it was GF.
I hope that you decide to give this Gluten Free Balsamic Cherry Pie recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love to hear from everyone and to see pictures of anything that you make. And above all, thank you so much for stopping by.
Gluten Free Balsamic Cherry Pie
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 235 grams gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 180 grams oat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 6 tbs ice cold water
- 8 oz cream cheese (chilled and sliced into 1-inch cubes)
- 8 oz unsalted butter (chilled and sliced into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 tsp table salt
Filling
- 3 lb fresh cherries, pitted
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2½ tbs balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5 tbs cornstarch
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbs cold water
- course sugar, optional
Instructions
- Place the flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the cream cheese and butter and pulse 10-15 times until the dough resemble course crumbs. Add the ice water all at once while pulsing.
- Remove the dough to a well floured work surface and form it into two ½ inch thick discs. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
- Combine the cherries, sugar and almond extract in a medium sauce pan over low-medium heat and cook for about 8 minutes until the cherries release some of their juice. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Combine the lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until no lumps remain. Add the mixture to the cherries. Continue to cook until the cherry mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. The mixture can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.
- Butter a 9-inch pie dish and set aside. On a well floured surface, roll one pastry disc to about an 11-inch circle. Transfer it to the prepared pie dish allowing the extra dough to hang off the sides. Fill with the pie filling.
- Roll out the second pastry disc to about an 11-inch circle and place it over the pie. Crimp the top and bottom crusts together to seal. Cut a few slits in the top to allow the steam to escape. Place the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Place two oven racks in the lower and middle sections of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Remove the pie from freezer, brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with course sugar (if using).
- Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the lower oven rack for 30 minutes. Move to the middle rack and rotate 180 degrees. Bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown in color and the filling appears to be bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.