The "Tom's Morningside" Cherry Spoon Pie
Milkshakes, Pies & Sweet Endings
It is two in the morning, the neon is buzzing against the wet pavement outside, and what you need right now is a piece of hot fruit pie and a bottomless mug of drip coffee. This isn't a delicate pastry project requiring a day of refrigeration; it is a short-order spoon pie, an old American tradition built for speed and immediate satisfaction. By utilizing a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet as your flat-top griddle stand-in, you will blister cherries into a glossy, cornstarch-bound perfection in mere minutes before dropping a shaggy, hand-laminated biscuit dough over the lava-hot fruit. It is hearty, completely unpretentious, and demands to be scooped straight from the pan.
Before you start
Execute the diner chop.
Cutting half the cherries in half and quartering the rest ensures the smaller pieces rapidly break down into a jammy base on the hot cast-iron while the larger halves retain a satisfying, meaty bite.
Build the thickening slurry.
In a small bowl, aggressively whisk together the three-quarters cup of sugar, three tablespoons of cornstarch, and quarter teaspoon of kosher salt until completely smooth, then stir in the lemon juice to form a thick paste.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- sweet dark cherries2 lb
- granulated sugar3/4 cup
- cornstarch3 tbsp
- fresh lemon juice2 tbsp
- almond extract1/2 tsp
- pure vanilla extract1 tsp
- kosher salt1/4 tsp
- all-purpose flour1 1/2 cup
- granulated sugar1/4 cup
- baking powder1 1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- unsalted butter1/2 cup
- cold whole milk3/4 cup
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- vanilla bean ice cream1 qt
Method
- 01
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place your ten-inch or twelve-inch heavy cast-iron skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat, treating it exactly like a commercial flat-top griddle.
- 02
Blister the fruit and execute the griddle scrape.
Drop the two tablespoons of butter into the pan, and as soon as it foams and browns, dump in all the cherries. Let them sit undisturbed for sixty seconds to blister, then use a stiff metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the cast-iron, lifting the fond and sautéing until the juices begin to rapidly boil.
- 03
Create the glossy diner set.
Scrape the sugar and cornstarch slurry into the vigorously bubbling cherries and stir constantly. Within ninety seconds, the cloudy liquid will transform into a thick, jewel-like filling that fiercely coats the back of your spoon.
- 04
Kill the heat and flavor the filling.
Remove the skillet from the burner immediately and stir in the almond and vanilla extracts off the heat so their volatile oils do not evaporate.
- 05
Mix and hand-laminate the short-order biscuit topping.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, quarter cup of sugar, baking powder, and half-teaspoon of salt, then rapidly pinch the cold butter cubes into the mixture until it looks like shaggy peas. Stir in the cold milk with a fork just until a dough forms, then gently fold the dough over on itself a few times right in the bowl to build flaky layers.
- 06
Top the pie and execute a fast bake.
Drop rustic, jagged dollops of the dough directly over the hot cherry filling, leaving gaps for the red fruit to bubble through, and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Transfer the skillet directly into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown.
- 07
Serve it warm and slumped in a bowl.
Use a large serving spoon to scoop straight through the crust and deep into the sticky, caramelized edges of the cast-iron, serving immediately with a massive scoop of melting vanilla ice cream.
Notes
The secret weapon of the Greek diner baker is almond extract.
Because cherries and almonds are botanical cousins, a mere half teaspoon of almond extract profoundly amplifies the natural cherry flavor of the fruit, giving it that nostalgic commercial-bakery depth.
Frozen cherries are acceptable, but do not thaw them fully.
If using frozen sweet dark cherries from the supermarket, let them sit out just long enough so you can get a knife through them. The heavy dose of lemon juice is non-negotiable here to mimic the acidity of fresh sour cherries.
From Cook Diner Food at Home.