This cherry slab pie is made in a sheet pan and ideal for serving larger crowds or bring to a picnic. Unlike other cherry slab pie recipes, this filling is not runny and doesn’t require you to precook the filling or the fruit liquid. Instead, it relies on a grated Granny Smith apple to help thicken the filling with the natural pectin in the apple. But don’t worry, you won’t taste the apple in the filling. The natural sweet cherry flavor shines through and the apple only adds a subtle fruit sweetness that also means less sugar is necessary in the fillin
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword cherry, fruit, pie, slab pie
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Chill time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Total Time 3 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Servings 12
Calories 475kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
Pie Crust
3 1/4cupsall-purpose flour455 g
1teaspoonkosher salt
1 1/4cupsunsalted butter, cold285 g
2/3cupto 3/4 cup ice cold water
Pie Filling
4 1/2cupscherriesabout 2 pounds or 910 grams
3/4cupwhite sugar150 g
1/4cupcornstarch40 g
1tablespoonbalsamic vinegaror lemon juice
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
1Granny Smith apple
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
To assemble
1large egg yolk
1tablespooncold water
2tablespoonturbinado sugarsparkling sugar or white granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the pie crust dough by placing the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and sprinkle them over the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, toss the cubes in the flour then smash them into flat pieces, roughly the size of a pea.
Once all the butter is flattened and broken up, drizzle 2/3 cup of the ice water over the dough and toss with a fork until a dough starts to form. Using your hands massage the dry ingredients gently into the wet parts. If the dough looks too dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until a solid dough forms.
Divide the dough into two parts and then flatten each part into a disk about 5-inches wide and 1-inch thick. Wrap each dough with plastic wrap and then refrigerate for a minimum of an hour or overnight (or up to 2 days in the fridge).
While the dough is chilling, make the crust by pitting the cherries and halving them into a large bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, vanilla extract, and salt. Then peel and core the apple, and grate it into the bowl, using the large holes of a box grater. Toss to combine all the ingredients together.
When you’re ready to assemble the pie, if you’re using a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (the kind that you make brownies in), lightly spray it with cooking oil, then line it with parchment paper. If you are using a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, skip this step. Flour a clean surface and then roll out a disk of dough into an 11 x 15-inch rectangle.
Fold the dough into quarters. Move the dough carefully to the pan. Unfold and fit the dough into the baking sheet or pan, trying to NOT stretch the dough as much as possible. This will help prevent shrinkage.
Pour the filling into the pastry dough and then distribute the filling evenly throughout the pan. Cut the remaining unsalted butter into small 1/4-inch cubes and sprinkle them all over the top of the filling.
Repeat the rolling out of the dough with the remaining disk, making sure it 11 x 15 as well. Place this dough over the filled pie.
Make the egg wash by beating the egg yolk with the water. Then lift up and brush the bottom crust with some of the egg wash and place the top crust back on top of it, using the egg wash to “glue” and seal the crust together. Trim any excess crust and decoratively pinch and seal the dough all the way around the pie. Place the pie in the refrigerator (uncovered) for 20 to 30 minutes.
While the pie is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the pie is done chilling, brush the remaining egg wash over the top of crust (you won’t need to use all of it). Then sprinkle the top crust with turbinado sugar (or sparkling or white sugar) and cut some decorative vent holes into the top.Place the pie on a large rimmed baking sheet (in case any of the filling bubbles out) and bake the pie for 60 to 70 minutes or until the filling is bubbling through the steam vents in the center of the pie. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.