Go Back
+ servings
Blueberry-Cherry Pie with a scratch shortening crust - Diversivore.com
Print

Cherry Blueberry Pie

The distinctive sweetness of blueberries partners wonderfully with the bold, tart flavour of sour cherries in this delightful pie. The filling can be adapted to fresh, frozen, or canned sour cherries. Shortcrust pastry recipe included, or you can sub in your own.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Canadian, North American
Keyword blueberry cherry pie, pie and crust recipe, sour cherries
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 375kcal

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting (see note)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (very cold)
  • 1/2 cup butter (very cold)
  • 4 tbsp ice water

Filling

  • 2 cups sour cherries pitted (~300 g) (see note)
  • 3 cups blueberries (~450 g)
  • water (see instructions for quantity)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour (aka tapioca starch) (see note)
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Filling

  • You can make this pie with fresh, frozen, or canned sour cherries.  If using fresh, pit the cherries and try to collect as much of the juice as you can during the process.  If using frozen, allow them to thaw, making sure to keep the juice that collects.  If using canned, drain the cherries well but keep about 1/4 cup of the liquid.
  • Combine the cherry juice with enough water to make 1/2 cup of liquid total.
  • Combine the cherries, blueberries, juice/water, and sugar in a bowl.  Stir to combine, then add the salt and tapioca flour, stirring once more.  Let the mixture stand for 20 minutes or so while you make the crust.

Crust

  • Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then use a pastry cutter (or butter knives) to blend in the cold butter and shortening.  Stop once the mixture forms crumbs about the size of small peas.
  • Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing a little as you do.
  • Shape the dough into a loose ball, but try not to handle it too much.  Divide the ball into two portions.
  • Liberally flour your working area, then roll out the two dough portions.  It helps to dust the dough with flour while you work too.  Work the dough until it fits into 9.5 inch pie pan.  Roll the top out until it's large enough to easily cover the pie, then set it aside.
  • Preheat over to 400°F (200°C).
  • Fill the pie and top with the remaining crust.  Cut vents or designs into the dough and trim the edges.  If you want to, you can use an egg wash or sprinkle the dough with sugar at this point.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust looks flaky and lightly browned, and the filling is bubbling in the center.  Remove from the oven and cool for an hour (or more, if you can manage) then serve.

Notes

Note that this is a very short crust, and it tends to be quite crumbly delicate, but avoid overworking it or you'll lose the flaky texture of the finished product. Don't be afraid to patch holes if necessary. Tasty is better than pretty.
Flour - Plain, or all-purpose flour makes for a lovely crust, but if you have pastry/cake flour, feel free to swap it in.  It's lower in protein, making for a softer crust that's less prone to overworking.  It's worth noting that some all-purpose flours (especially Canadian ones) are actually closer to bread flour in terms of protein, so if you've struggled with tough crusts in the past, you may want to try a softer pastry flour.
Sour Cherries - Fresh or frozen sour cherries can be a bit tricky to find in season.  Try searching the web for farmers, markets, and distributors near you.  It's worth checking at grocery stores that cater to Eastern European and Central Asian (e.g. Turkish and Iranian) populations too.  Sour cherries canned in light syrup can also be used, and may be easier to find.  I do not recommend substituting sweet cherries.
Tapioca Flour - also called tapioca starch, this can be found in the baking section of well-stocked grocery stores.  If you can't find tapioca flour, you can use instant/minute tapioca (which is found in the same place, and is generally a bit easier to come by), but you'll want to pulverize it in a spice/coffee grinder first to reduce the size of the tapioca pieces.  If you can't find tapioca flour, you can substitute an equal volume of corn starch (whisk it thoroughly with the water before adding it to the filling to reduce the chance of clumping).

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg