Cherry Pot Pies

Two years (or possibly more) ago, I was in a bit of a recipe slump and was bouncing ideas off of (or harassing) my friend Leslie when I first got this idea. But, it was winter and there were no fresh cherries to be had. So, I  wrote the idea down and forgot about it until a few weeks ago.

I am a complete cherry nut but never, ever cook with them because frankly, I am too busy eating them fresh out of the bag like a my naughty dog with his head in the treat bag. Thankfully, I have kept my summer cherry habit in check long enough to pit enough cherries to test this yummy little recipe for Cherry Pot Pies.

I wanted to make a playful dish and as it was winter when the idea struck me, pot pies were definitely on my mind. I didn’t simply want to place cherries in a ramekin and top it with a pastry lid. I wanted to take it to the next level and drizzle in some luscious creme anglaise to take the place of the gravy or béchamel often seen in a savory pot pie. Instead of the traditional creme anglaise made with milk or cream, I made mine with almond milk to lighten it while adding a different layer of flavor. I had expected it to be nuttier, but the flavor is quite mild and ended up working very well in the creme anglaise.

Now, creme anglaise is a stirred sauce, slowly heated, thickened and held in suspension by egg yolks and should not reach temperatures over about 175F, which means the dessert components must be cooked separately and assembled later. This might seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but it also makes it a strangely convenient dessert for parties since the creme anglaise and lids can be made ahead of time. Speaking of the lids, I wanted to create a tender crust with a twist and so I added lightly toasted almonds to the mix. They are buttery, crisp and break with a whack of your spoon like the sugar on a pot of creme brulee.

When you put the three components together you have a really delightful dessert with lusciously juice cherries, velvety creme anglaise and a lid that will leave you licking your ramekin.

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Cherry Pot Pies

2 lbs Rainier Cherries (or your favorite sweet cherry), stoned

1 recipe Almond Creme Anglaise

1 recipe Almond Pastry Lids

Preheat your oven to 350F

Fill six ramekins until they are bursting (sort of) with cherries and  bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon the warm almond creme anglaise over the cherries, place a lid on top and serve.

The Creme Anglaise (with Almond Milk)

4 Egg Yolks

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

The seeds of 1 Vanilla Bean

A few pinches Sea Salt

1 1/2 cups Almond Milk

Combine  the yolks, sugar, vanilla, vanilla bean and salt in the bowl of a mixer and whip until it becomes a light butter yellow color. Using a lower speed mix in 1/2 cup of the almond milk. You don’t want to add it all at this point or use high speeds, because it foams up like crazy. Once that first 1/2 cup of almond milk has been added, stir in the rest using the lowest speed possible.

Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and cook over low to medium low, stirring almost constantly until the temperature reaches 175F, the sauce will leave a nice coating on your spoon. Do not get impatient with this or you will end up with scrambled eggs or a funky scum over the top.

Remove the thickened sauce from the stove and run through a sieve. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but almond milk tends to contain debris (nothing gross) and I like to strain it out for a prettier sauce.

Note: If reheating, place the creme anglaise in a double boiler and warm over gently simmering water until 160F to 175F.

The Lids

1/2 cup Blanched Slivered Almonds, very lightly toasted

1 cup AP Flour

2 TBS Sugar + more for sprinkling

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

8 TBS Butter, cut into smallish pieces

2 TBS Ice Water

1 Egg, beaten with a splash of water

Add the almonds to the food processor and pulse until chopped very fine. Next, add in the flour, sugar and salt pulsing it a few times to distribute and lighten the ingredients. Then add in the butter and ice water, pulsing until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap (or whatever method you use for this sort of thing) and bring the dough together into a ball. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Remove the dough from the fridge, cut in half and roll out each to about a 1/4 of an inch on a well floured surface and cut into rings about the size of your ramekin. Place each cut out on a baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper, being careful not to stretch out the dough in the process. Brush the lids with the egg wash and sprinkle each one lightly with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Either use immediately or cool and store for later use.

Note: There will be excess dough; wrap it and freeze it for another day.