Vanilla Bourbon Cherry-Blueberry Pie.

I made a pie!! And a very All-American pie too!

And oh my gosh, it is packed to the brim with CHERRIES. As of this moment, I am declaring cherries my new favorite fruit of summer. Growing up I was all about watermelon, nectarines and berries, but I had never had cherries. Or at least I do not remember having them around. My dad says we did, but I really only remember tons of watermelon.

I am guessing we ate a lot of watermelon because with a big family it served a crowd…and hello it’s cheap. Big families with too many little kids means you are looking for the cheap fruits. I have to say though, looking back my parents did a pretty good job of keeping fresh fruit around. We always had drawers full of nectarines (or peaches, it was always whatever looked better) and tons of strawberries, blackberries or whatever berry was on sale that week. So I guess it wasn’t really just watermelon, but I honestly don’t ever remember having cherries.

Cherry tomatoes? Yup! I remember having so many of those, but that’s another memory for another day.

Today is all about the cherries and blueberries, and maybe a little bourbon, with a big old side of flakey crust. And a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream too, because that is how I am doing it today.

Which just so you know, it the right way.

Because today is kind of like a Friday since tomorrow is the Fourth. For most of us, this means a three-day weekend and that means… we need pie…with a little bourbon, which incredibly somehow makes the cherries even better. I did not even know that was possible. But apparently it is.

So even though I may be having some bad days in the kitchen this week, and my photos the last two days have stunk – so bad that I deleted them right off my computer the second I looked at them, I can at the very least, try and beg you to make this pie. And also tell you that if I made a pie, YOU CAN MAKE A PIE.

Ok, ok, ok. First let me tell you that I only ever had my first cherry at about this time last year and honestly, at first I was all like “yeah, I don’t know, these are okay”. But then for some reason I kept going back for more. I think I was hungry before dinner and snacking while writing a post or something, but the point is that within a day of trying them, and saying they were just ok, I was taking back my words and singing a whole different tune.

Granted I had some really awesome fresh Oregon cherries that had probably been picked the day before, but still, I have been waiting for cherries to return ever since. And now I am fully addicted and dreading the day they disappear again.

I wasn’t really thinking I would ever bake with cherries since I am not a huge fan of any baked fruits, but for some reason a couple of weeks ago I got it in my head that I really wanted to make a cherry pie. This was a little before I went to Florida and I was hoping to get it made before I left, but it didn’t happen. So the second I got home a week ago, I made this and was filled with excitement over it the very second I pulled it out of the oven.

I mean, for one it was a pie and I have not had too much success with pies. I have made pies that tasted awesome, but looked horrific, but never one that both tasted good and looked good. So yeah, it is safe to say, I was jumping for joy over this pie.

And you know what? It wasn’t even that hard. And the crust? Holy moly, the crust is amazing. I used Bon Appetit’s recipe which calls for almond meal and I swear it makes all the different. It’s super soft and tender, but also nice and toasted on the top. I am telling you, it is crust perfection.

Next comes the filling. I added the blueberries to try and get a little red, white and blue action. Unfortunately, that did not really work out so well. BUT I am still so happy I added them because they add a nice texture and help to balance the cherry flavor.

So just in time for the long Fourth of July weekend, thankfully, this pie turned out great. There is nothing difficult about it, if I can do it, you can too. Snap some pictures of yours and make me jealous. Happy 4th!

Don’t forget the scoop of vanilla ice cream. SO Dreamy.

*SO SORRY ABOUT ALL THE PHOTOS, I JUST COULDN’T GET RID OF ANY!