A simple way to feed a crowd, this delicious cherry slab pie can be baked with frozen cherries or fresh cherries during the peak of the season.
PREP TIME 30 minutesminutes
Additional Time 5 hourshours
COOK TIME 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 6 hourshours35 minutesminutes
YIELD 12servings
Ingredients
1batch of butter pie crust for slab piessee notes
5cupsfrozen cherriespitted
3/4cupsugar
1/4cupcornstarch
1/2tspalmond extract
1egg yolk
1tbspcold water
1tbspsugar
Instructions
PREPARE THE PIE CRUST & CHILL THE DOUGH:
Prepare the butter pie crust at least 4 hours before you assemble the pie and store it in the fridge to keep it cold. Using a food processor will make it a quick job, about 5 minutes total. Strongly recommend using our favorite flaky butter pie crust recipe here.Chill the dough for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
ROLL OUT THE PIE CRUST:
Lightly flour a working surface. Take the chilled pie crust and cut it in half, making one half just a smidge larger than the other half. Roll the larger half out to an 11 x 15-inch rectangle.
Gently drape it into the bottom of your slab pie pan and carefully press it up the sides and into the corners of the pan. Tuck the raw edges under to make a pretty crust edge. Place the pan in the fridge to keep cold.
Roll out the second half of the crust to a 10 - 14-inch rectangle and roll it up in a piece of parchment to store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
MAKE THE FILLING:
Using frozen cherries helps to make a flaky pie crust, do not thaw them before using. In a large bowl, combine the frozen cherries with the sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract. Stir together until they are coated in sugar.
Pour the cherries and scrape all the sugar into the prepared slab pan. Spread them out evenly in a single layer as best you can.
PREPARE THE PIE TOP:
Unroll the prepared top crust dough. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes and scatter them evenly across the pie top. You definitely want to leave spaces in between the shapes for steam to escape. You can use different size cookie cutters for a fun variation pattern or keep it uniform with just one size.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, water, and sugar. Brush the mixture over the cut-out shapes (but not the bottom crust's edge).
CHILL THE ASSEMBLED PIE WHILE THE OVEN PREHEATS:
Place the assembled pie in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
Place a large baking sheet upside down on the center oven rack. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the pie on a large piece of parchment paper to catch any drips from the cherry juices. Place the pie and parchment paper directly on the preheated baking sheet inside the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is toasty brown, about 45 minutes longer.
Cool for 3 hours before serving.
Recipe Notes
Make-ahead Tips:The pie crust can be made and chilled up to 24 hours ahead of time and kept wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the fridge. The whole slab pie can be assembled ahead and frozen, unbaked, for a month. Do not defrost it, simply bake straight from frozen and add 5 minutes to the baking time.