Chocolate Cherry Pie with CHOCOLATE Crust

BY: Sharon Fitness for GOOD.

Ah… yum! This could be the most deliciously decadent pie ever! Inspired by GOOD’s premiere movie Percy vs Goliath, we’ve been baking American style pies in the GOOD kitchen, and this one is a favourite we had to share.

Chocolate Crust ingredients:

1/3 cup cocoa

2 2/3 cup of plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbs sugar

115g butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup copha, cut into cubes

1/4 cup vodka – substitute white vinegar

1/4 cup cold water

Pie Filling ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 tbs cornflour (make it 4 if using frozen cherries)

5 cups of fresh or frozen cherries

3 tbs lemon juice from a real lemon, not the bottled fake stuff

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate, broken up into chunks

3 tbs butter

1 tbs light corn syrup – substitute golden syrup, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, or light honey.

2 tbs butter (for crust assembly)

2 tbs white sugar to sprinkle on top before cooking

Method

A food processor is great at enabling you to work as quickly as possible. The more you work the dough the tougher it will become. So dig that food processor out of the bottom of the cupborad and add the cocoa, 2 cups of the flour, salt and sugar and give it a quick pulse until it’s combined.

Add the cubes of butter and the copha and pulse until combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. A mix of shortening and butter gives a good flavour and texture.

Now, add the remaining flour and pulse until it gathers around the blade. If your food processor is too small, just transfer it to a bowl and add the remaining flour by hand. (If you have a nice big food processor, transfer to a bowl after you add the remaining flour)

Next add the water and the vodka and squish it into the dough until it’s all combined. Vodka is a pro tip as it cooks off completely (unlike water) and stops the gluten in the flour binding too tightly, resulting in a super flakey crust. Your dough will be very moist, and you can add a little bit of flour if it is too moist to hold together. Split into two evenly sized disks and wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for AT LEAST AN HOUR, super important, don’t skip this step. (You can pre-make and chill it for a few days if you want to, but if you do, put the wrapped circles in a zip lock bag or airtight container.)

Next combine the sugar for the filling, cornflour, salt, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl and set aside.

Now, if using fresh cherries, you’ll have to pit them, so hopefully you have a pitter. You can buy one at a kitchen supply store and they are totally worth it. To pit 5 cups, it should only take about 10 minutes. If using frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight and let any excess moisture drain away. Add the cherries to the sugar mixture bowl and stir until the cherries are well coated. Allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

Get your cold dough out of the fridge and place it on a well floured surface. This is not the easiest dough to work with. It’ll need a lot of flour on both sides, flour the top to make sure it doesn’t stick to your rolling pin. Roll out into a circle large enough to fit into your pie pan with only a little over hang. If it breaks apart, just press it back together with your fingers.

Transfer to your pie dish, if it breaks, again, push the cracks back together.

In a microwave safe bowl, add your chocolate chunks, butter and corn syrup. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir and repeat until all melted and combined. Pour the chocolate into the crust and spread out to make an even layer, then add the cherries.

Place the top circle on and crimp the edge. You can also cut strips to do a lattice top, or do whatever design you like! Poke a couple of holes and decorate if desired. Finish with a sprinkle of sugar on the top.

Ice cold dough cooks better than room temp dough, so now, it needs to rest and chill before going into the oven. Now is the time to preheat the oven to 220 degrees (fan-forced) and place your pie in the fridge. Wait about 20 minutes and then bake your pie at 220 for about 15 minutes. Then, turn your oven down to 170 and finish baking for about 45 minutes or until the filling is thick and bubbly. If your crust looks like it is browning too much, cover it in foil.

Allow the pie to cool to room temperature and serve with vanilla ice-cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Watch Percy vs Goliath on GOOD. Percy vs Goliath is the incredible true story of Percy Schmeiser, a third-generation farmer, who is sued by a corporate giant for allegedly using their patented seeds. With little resources to fight a legal battle, Percy joins forces with up-and-coming attorney Jackson Weaver and environmental activist Rebecca Salcau for a monumental case that leads all the way to the Supreme Court. Stars Christopher Walken, Zach Braff and Christina Ricci. Watch the trailer: CLICK HERE

Feature images: Bruna Branco and Rita Senca on Unsplash.