Skillet Cherry Pie

Sweet, plump cherries scented with vanilla and almond make up the filling of this easy and classic, lattice-topped pie, baked in an iron skillet.

There’s something about a pie that brings people together. It’s comforting, it’s made with love and it takes more than one to fully enjoy it.

Pies are a lot like babies that way.

Babies bring people together. They need, and give, the ultimate comfort. They’re made with love and give back more than one could ever anticipate. And it takes a lot more than just one person to nurture a baby…that baby who becomes an incredible gift to all.

Today’s post is in honor of a new baby who will soon be welcomed into the extended blogging family, to Catherine and her family of the food blog Weelicious.

I’d say nibbling on those new baby toes is the perfect excuse to nibble on pie. Oh forget the nibbling, let’s eat the whole dang thing!

Catherine may look familiar to you. In addition to blogging, she’s a cookbook author (read my interview with her and get the recipe for her Stuffed Pizza Rolls here) a spokesperson, and you can also catch her on Food Network where she’s often judging cooking competitions. This mama has a full plate and is ready to add to it.

If you follow Catherine and her blog, you know that this Los Angeles girl about town is all about the farmers market, making weekly stops to both the Fairfax and Santa Monica markets for family friendly ingredients that are fresh and local. So in deciding what to post in honor of Catherine’s new mini-squeeze, I didn’t have to look much farther than my own market’s seasonal offerings.

Cherry season here in Utah is nearly over. Already. A late spring frost nipped many of the blooms making for a short and sparse growing season causing the farmers’ market vendors to already bid them adieu.

That’s all the reason I need to relish cherries now.

This is a classic recipe with a slight twist as it’s baked in a cast iron skillet, (leave your guests wondering why!) and one you’ll be craving all summer long.

About the Recipe

To add a little somethin’ somethin’ to this classic recipe, I baked it in this 10-inch Cuisinart cast iron skillet instead of a regular 9-inch pie tin. I have a smaller Threshold brand cast iron skillet from Target, or this Lodge skillet is always a winner. The bonus of baking in a skillet is you can bake it on the grill, or over campfire coals. I’ve given you instructions for both baking in the oven and baking on the grill in the recipe below.

If you are so inclined to bake this pie in a regular 9-inch pie tin, please, by all means do. However, you will have some extra cherry filling left over that you can cook down into a sauce for serving over pork chops, chicken or of course, ice cream.

This time around I used store-bought pie crust rather than homemade, but if you’re feeling like taking on that extra step, this pie crust recipe is my go-to and works for me every time. I brushed an egg yolk with a bit of cream over the crust for color, however my mother in law advised that maybe next time I should add a bit more cream so the egg wash didn’t brown quite so dark. Good tip MIL!

I used a combination of sweet Bing cherries and Rainier cherries for a little variety in color. After taste-testing the pie, I couldn’t decide which I preferred more, but I think the Rainier may have just edged out the Bings.

Pitting cherries. Ugh. Who wants to? Usually not me. But! I found the best OXO cherry pitter at Home Goods and it only took me about 12 minutes to pit 3 pounds of cherries. My mother in law liked it so much we had to go back and buy her one. Done and done!

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats. 

5 from 4 votes

Skillet Cherry Pie

Baking a pie in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet is a fun presentation and helps create a crispy crust, plus, it's a great excuse to bake on the grill or over the coals. If you prefer to bake it in a pie tin, you'll likely have extra cherry filling to cook down and use on ice cream.

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Ingredients 

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• 2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts 1 box
• 6 cups pitted sweet cherries such as Bing or Rainier about 3 pounds
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg yollk
• 1 tablespoon cream
• Coarse caster sugar

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. If grilling the pie, see grilling note below.
• In a large bowl, toss the cherries with the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extract until coated. Set aside.
• Remove one of the pie crusts from its package and using a rolling pin, roll it out gently to form a 12-inch circle. Place the pie crust in the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the berry mixture into the skillet and dot with pieces of the butter.
• Next, take the other pie crust and roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Cut the pie crust into strips about ¾" wide or so that you have 9-10 strips. Lay 5 strips along the top of the pie, with the longest strip in the middle. Lay the rest of the strips evenly across the first set of strips, weaving the strips to create a lattice effect. Tuck the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust and gently crimp the edges.
• Mix the egg and cream in a small bowl and brush it on the pie crust strips then sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake the pie for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. Let the pie cool completely to set the filling. If the filling is too runny, refrigerate for ½ hour or longer to set.
• GRILLING NOTE: To grill the pie, preheat half of the grill to medium and then place the skillet on the grill rack over the empty side of the grill. Cover and grill for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the crust is golden and filling is bubbly, rotating once halfway through grilling time.

A Seasonal Welcome to the Little Weelicious

To welcome in the new little wee, a few of bloggers created recipes in a bounty of colors featuring seasonal goodness.

Congrats Catherine! And welcome to your new snuggly babe. Hop over to check out the rest of the bloggers’s fresh recipe links.

Mini Strawberry Rosewater Pavlovas from Beard and Bonnet
Pink Lemonade Thumbprint Cookies from Fifteen Spatulas
Roasted Blueberry and Lemony Yogurt Popsicles from Tasty Yummies
Frozen Lemonade with Rose Water from The Lemon Bowl
Grilled Carrots with Mint Almond Pesto from Heather Christo
Persian Saffron Pudding from Tori Avey
S’more Brownies from What’s Gaby Cooking
Jicama Pops from ¡Hola! Jalapeño
Roasted Broccoli Pesto on Pumpernickel from Bev Cooks
Farmer’s Market Vietnamese Steak Salad from Alex T Cooks
Peachy Pineapple Green Smoothie from 100 Days of Real Food
Rainbow Smoothie from Daisy At Home
Chocolate Beet Cake from I Am Baker
Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting from Deliciously Organic

See more of Weelicious and her recipes here. 

Follow Catherine at @weelicious on Instagram and Twitter.

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

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