How To Pick The Best Cherries For A Sweet And Tangy Pie

When baking a cherry pie, you want to create an unforgettably sweet yet tart flavor combination that impresses guests with every bite. To achieve this level of pie status, it all starts with the star of the show — the cherries. To find out the best combination of cherries for a killer pie, Food Republic reached out to Odette D'Aniello, baking expert and CEO at Dragonfly Cakes. She advised mixing together "a 50/50 mix of sweet cherries (like Bing) and tart cherries (like Montmorency) [to give] you that perfect balance of bright acidity and lush sweetness." Texturally speaking, the Bing variety provides firmness and richness, whereas the Montmorency gives a softer finish that's radiant in the filling. D'Aniello explains that texture and flavor-wise, "Blending sweet and tart cherries is one of my favorite ways to build flavor in a cherry pie." 

According to our expert, there is an important reason for joining together both kinds of this tasty fruit: "The tart cherries keep the filling from becoming one-note sweet, and the sweet cherries round out the flavors." If you can't find fresh, in-season cherries, you can use frozen, too — and the fruit retains high quality as they are often frozen at peak ripeness. Just keep in mind that using frozen might require different amounts of sugars and thickeners. If you go the this route, "...always thaw and drain them to control for excess moisture before adding them to the filling," D'Aniello warned. And of course, to make the perfect pie, use this tip to prevent a soggy filling and really double-down on achieving a thick, lush interior.

While the mentioned blend of sweet and tart cherries are the perfect choice, there are others that require more attention to detail when being used. Jarred cherries, for instance, can be a hit or miss. Odette D'Aniello advised "[looking] for ones packed in their own juice or a light syrup — avoid anything overly sweetened." This is especially true of maraschino cherries, those bright red dollops you often see topping ice cream sundaes that likely contain artificial dyes. According to D'Aniello, you should "definitely avoid" these when making a pie unless you enjoy mushy, syrupy filling. 

While choosing the best fruits is a significant step, there are even more ways to curate a unique pie. Customize your dessert further by adding a cream cheese layer that imparts tangy, creamy flavors, making a great combination with the jammy fruit. You can also pair the homemade cherry filling with a base that can hold its own texture and flavor wise, by learning how to easily make a buttery, flaky, all-purpose crust. This way, the gooey blend of fruit complements the decadent, melt-in-your-mouth crust.