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A double-crusted tribute to the northern prairie, where wild chokecherries yield their ruby juice to become the most distinctive pie in American regional baking. Tart, sweet, and hauntingly complex.
The chokecherry grows wild across the Dakotas, a stubborn little fruit that survives winters that would kill lesser plants. Eat one raw and you'll understand the name. Your mouth puckers, your tongue protests, your body wonders what you've done wrong. But boil those same berries with sugar, strain them through cheesecloth, and something remarkable emerges: a juice the color of garnets with a flavor unlike anything cultivated.
German-Russian immigrants settling the northern plains in the 1880s discovered what Native Americans had known for centuries. The chokecherry, properly handled, becomes extraordinary. Grandmothers taught daughters to pick in late August, to watch for the clusters hanging heavy and nearly black. They cooked vats of berries in summer kitchens, filled Mason jars with syrup that would see families through harsh winters.
This pie appears at county fairs from Minot to Bismarck every August, competing for blue ribbons that matter more than city folks might understand. The crust uses lard, as prairie cooks have always used lard, because it produces the flakiest, most honest pastry. The filling balances the chokecherry's natural tartness against enough sugar to make it palatable without erasing what makes it distinctive. You'll taste something ancient in each bite.
If you've never encountered chokecherries, seek them out. They grow in hedgerows and shelterbelts across the northern states, free for the picking. Failing that, chokecherry syrup can be ordered from North Dakota producers who've kept the tradition alive. This is a pie worth hunting for.
Quantity
2 1/2 cups (310g)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
1/2 cup (115g)
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Quantity
1/2 cup (1 stick/113g)
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Quantity
6 to 8 tablespoons
Quantity
4 cups
stems removed
Quantity
1 1/4 cups
Quantity
1/4 cup
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
2 tablespoons
cut into small pieces
Quantity
1
for egg wash
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for egg wash
Quantity
for sprinkling
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| all-purpose flour | 2 1/2 cups (310g) |
| fine sea salt (for crust) | 1 teaspoon |
| granulated sugar (for crust) | 1 tablespoon |
| cold lardcut into 1/2-inch pieces | 1/2 cup (115g) |
| cold unsalted butter (for crust)cut into 1/2-inch pieces | 1/2 cup (1 stick/113g) |
| ice water | 6 to 8 tablespoons |
| fresh chokecherriesstems removed | 4 cups |
| granulated sugar (for filling) | 1 1/4 cups |
| cornstarch | 1/4 cup |
| fine sea salt (for filling) | 1/4 teaspoon |
| almond extract | 1/4 teaspoon |
| cold unsalted butter (for filling)cut into small pieces | 2 tablespoons |
| large eggfor egg wash | 1 |
| heavy creamfor egg wash | 1 tablespoon |
| coarse sugar | for sprinkling |
Whisk together flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold lard and butter pieces. Work the fats into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingertips, pressing and smearing until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Those larger pieces will create the flaky layers. Drizzle ice water over the mixture one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition, until the dough just holds together when pressed. You may not need all the water.
Divide dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten each into a disk about one inch thick, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Cold dough rolls more easily and produces a flakier crust. The gluten needs time to relax.
If using fresh chokecherries, place them in a large saucepan with one cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally and pressing berries against the side of the pot, for twenty to twenty-five minutes until berries have burst and released their juice. The kitchen will smell wild and slightly medicinal. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing firmly on the solids to extract every drop of ruby liquid. You should have about two cups. Discard the pulp and pits.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the chokecherry juice until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns glossy, about five to seven minutes. It should coat a spoon heavily. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract. The almond note is traditional; it amplifies the stone-fruit quality hiding in chokecherries. Let the filling cool to room temperature while you roll the crust.
Remove the larger dough disk from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll from center outward, rotating the dough quarter-turns, until you have a circle about twelve inches across and one-eighth inch thick. Transfer to a nine-inch pie plate, pressing gently into the corners without stretching. Let the excess hang over the edge. Refrigerate while you roll the top.
Roll the smaller disk to about eleven inches across. You can leave it whole for a traditional top, or cut into strips for a lattice. A lattice shows off that extraordinary ruby color, and county fair judges seem to favor them.
Pour the cooled filling into the prepared bottom crust. Dot the surface with the small pieces of cold butter. These will melt during baking and enrich the filling. If using a solid top, drape it over the filling. If making a lattice, weave strips over and under. Either way, trim the overhang to about half an inch, fold the edge under, and crimp decoratively. Cut three or four vents in a solid top to let steam escape.
Beat the egg with the cream until smooth. Brush this wash over the entire top crust, getting into the crimped edges. This gives the baked pie its golden sheen. Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. The sugar crystals catch light and crunch pleasantly against the tender crust.
Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for twenty minutes until the crust begins to turn golden. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue baking thirty to thirty-five minutes more, until the crust is deeply golden and the filling bubbles visibly through the vents or lattice. If the edges brown too quickly, shield them with foil.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least three hours before slicing. I know this is difficult. The filling needs time to set, and a warm pie will run all over the plate. The waiting is part of the ritual. The pie is worth the patience.
1 serving (about 210g)
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