Phil's Cherry Pie: cool briefly, then eat warm

For me, regardless of the season, holidays are always times when my thoughts run back to my parents. Both my mother and father died almost a decade ago, and holidays are special to me in part because of the memories that come flooding back.

One of our traditions was having cherry pie on July 4th. My mother was a good cook, and she felt the red cherries were suitably patriotic for the holiday. My father liked cherry pie, too, in part because his family was one of the first to plant cherries in Michigan.

There are two pictures in our family photo album that were taken around 1900. One shows my great-grandmother, Celestia Power, in a long cotton dress sitting on the front porch of the old family farm in Elk Rapids. The other shows my great-grandfather, Eugene Power, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and Panama hat, looking proudly at a row of newly planted cherry trees.

He was one of the first farmers around Traverse City to plant Montmorency cherries (called “sours” to distinguish them from the dark red eating cherries or “sweets.”) They became the dominant crop in that part of the state, thriving on the sandy, well-drained soil and the moderating influence of Lake Michigan.

Michigan produces something like 75 percent of the nation’s tart cherries, and much of the land in the region that hasn’t been raped by the developers is still in cherry orchards.

My father used to tell me endlessly of his first job out on the family farm, picking cherries for 10 cents a lug. (That, by the way, was a lot of cherries.)  His father, Glenn, who started out as a surveyor, helped great-grandfather Eugene lay out the cherry trees in long, straight lines.

Together with my cousin, Tom, a circuit judge in northwestern Michigan, I visited the old family farm a few years ago. The house is gone, but there are just a few very, very old cherry trees still standing to remind us of our family heritage.

It wasn’t easy back then to be a pioneering farmer. You couldn’t be sure the trees, once planted, would thrive or bear well. There certainly weren’t any government subsidies. And, as farmers then and now keep learning from time to time, a late frost can kill the flowers and ruin the fruit. But farmers back then were a tough and determined lot. Honoring their hard work seems appropriate …
As does the a chance to share our family recipe for
Montmorency Michigan cherry pie:

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For the crust:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the crust
1 teaspoon baking power
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lard
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 eggs
For the filling:
4 cups pitted tart cherries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon mace
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons Kirsch liquor (optional)

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To make the crust: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the lard, butter and shortening and mix with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Whisk together the ice water, vinegar and one of the eggs. Add to the flour mixture and mix with a fork until just combined; do not overwork the dough. Roll into ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the pitted cherries, sugars, tapioca, almond extract, mace and Kirsch (if desired). Let stand for 15 minutes.
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For the pie: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough and trim the edges. Pour the filling in and dot the top with the pieces of butter. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the pie, or (if you’re ambitious) a lattice top. Whisk the remaining egg with two teaspoons of water and brush the egg wash over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30-40 minute longer, or until the juices are bubbling up from the center of the pie. (You may want to put a baking sheet under the pie pan to catch the juices.)

Cool briefly and eat warm.

My father preferred vanilla ice cream with his pie. I’m more of a purist, and take mine straight. There are even people who eat their pie cold. But no matter how you like it, Michigan cherry pie is a great way to celebrate our state’s history and agriculture.

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Editor’s Note: Former newspaper publisher and University of Michigan Regent Phil Power is a longtime observer of Michigan politics and economics, and a former chairman of the Michigan chapter of the Nature Conservancy. He is also the founder and president of The Center for Michigan, a centrist think-and-do tank which publishes the Michigan Scorecard. The opinions expressed here are Power’s own and do not represent the official views of The Center. He welcomes your comments at ppower@thecenterformichigan.net.
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