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1
Make the shortcrust and chill it
15 Mins + 30 Mins chill
Chilled, 4°C (39°F)
Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold diced butter with your fingertips until the mix looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized lumps left. Add the beaten egg and 45ml of the ice water and mix with a fork until the dough just comes together, adding the last water only if it is dry. Divide into two discs — one slightly larger — wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Stop as soon as the dough holds together. Overworking develops gluten and the crust turns tough instead of short.
Done when: A smooth, firm dough that holds together when pressed and feels cold to the touch.
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2
Cook the cherry filling
8 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Put the cherries in a pan with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and almond extract. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring gently, until the juices bubble, thicken and turn glossy and the cherries are just tender. Cool the filling completely — a hot filling melts the pastry before it reaches the oven.
Taste a cherry: if it is still mouth-puckering, add 1 tablespoon more sugar; the filling should be sharp, not sour.
Done when: The juices coat a spoon thickly and the cherries hold their shape.
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3
Line the pie dish
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Roll the larger disc on a floured surface into a 30 cm round about 3 mm thick. Ease it into a 23 cm pie dish without stretching, press it into the corners, and trim the edge to a 1 cm overhang. Chill the lined dish for 10 minutes while you roll the top.
Never stretch pastry into the dish — stretched pastry shrinks back in the oven and pulls away from the rim.
Done when: The pastry sits evenly in the dish with no air pockets underneath.
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4
Weave the lattice top
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Roll the second disc into a 28 cm round and cut it into 10 strips about 2 cm wide. Spoon the cooled filling into the pie dish and mound it slightly in the centre. Lay 5 strips across the pie, then weave the other 5 through them over and under. Trim the strips to a 1 cm overhang, fold the base edge up over the strip ends, and crimp to seal.
If a strip tears, patch it — the lattice is forgiving once baked, and a little rustic weave looks homemade, not wrong.
Done when: An even over-under lattice with sealed, crimped edges.
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5
Brush, dust and bake
50 Mins
200°C (400°F), then 180°C (350°F)
Brush the lattice with the milk and sprinkle over the caster sugar. Bake on the lowest oven shelf at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling thickly through the lattice. Shield the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
The lowest shelf matters — it crisps the base so the bottom crust is baked, not soggy.
Done when: Deep golden lattice, filling bubbling slowly in the gaps, base crisp when tapped.
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6
Cool until the filling sets
2 Hours cooling
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Leave the pie in its dish on a rack for at least 2 hours. The filling is liquid when hot and needs this time to set into clean, sliceable wedges. Serve barely warm or at room temperature.
Cutting too soon is the classic mistake — the filling floods the plate and the slice falls apart.
Done when: A slice lifts out cleanly with the filling holding its shape.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve barely warm with lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and let the tart cherries do the talking.
Belgium
1h
