The Best Pie I’ve Ever Made & What I Cooked Last Week
The perfect pie for summer, healthy white bean avocado tostadas, ice cream cake, Thai basil chicken, strawberry French toast
Hi everyone,
Hope you’re having a great week! Doug and I are headed to Europe this weekend. We’ll be in Puglia, Italy, for a few days, then Mykonos for a friend’s 40th birthday.
A quick heads up that I’ll be taking next week off from the newsletter for the holiday week, but I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday, July 10. Thank you so much for being here 🤍.
I had so much fun cooking with my mom while she was in town. We made eight recipes, including the incredible cherry pie that I’m sharing with you today. It feels so summery and would be perfect for July 4th. I’ll walk you through every step, from making your own crust (it’s so easy!) to the secret ingredient that makes the fruit filling even more delicious.
First, here’s a recipe for healthy white bean avocado tostadas. Crunchy tostadas are topped with a creamy, tangy white bean and avocado salad, along with plenty of parsley, red onion, and a bright lemon vinaigrette. They’re so fresh and delicious, and I hope you give them a try!
As always, my cookbook Maxi’s Kitchen is now available for purchase at your local bookstore or online:
Thank you so much for your support 🤍
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
Healthy White Bean Avocado Tostadas
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Ice Cream Cake
A nostalgic dessert that is perfect for summer. It comes together with dreamy layers: a vanilla chip ice cream, Oreo crumble, and a chocolate cake that tastes even better when frozen.
Thai Basil Chicken
All the components of this stir fry melt into the rice, creating perfect saucy bites. The chicken is sweet, salty, and slightly spicy, with plenty of fragrant basil.
Strawberry French Toast
I love French toast, and this strawberry version is perfect for summer. Challah is soaked in a beautiful pink custard made with strawberries and milk. It reminds me of strawberry shortcake.
The Best Pie I’ve Ever Made 🍒
My mom and I are such cherry enthusiasts. We love them so much that the moment they show up at the grocery store, we text each other. We’ve been snacking on cherries nonstop this summer.
A few weeks ago, when my brother Jackson was visiting from San Diego, we were relaxing at home on a Saturday and I thought, I have so many cherries, why don’t I make a cherry pie? I’d made chicken pot pie the week before, so I already had a store-bought crust in the fridge to speed things up. I pitted all the cherries myself (I don’t have a pitter) and made a simple crumble topping since I only had one crust. My brother and Doug both loved the pie, and while it was a good first attempt, I felt there was still room to improve the crust and filling.
When my mom came to town, I asked on my Instagram story what recipes people wanted to see, and several people requested desserts. We decided to revisit the cherry pie with a few adjustments from my first test.
First, we made the crust from scratch. My mom usually makes hers in a food processor, but I remembered a tip from Alison Roman, who mixes hers by hand. You combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then work small cubes of cold butter into the flour with your fingertips. Alison says that when you flatten the butter between your fingers, you create the flaky layers that make pie crust so good. Once the mixture has a sandy texture with some larger flat pieces of butter throughout, you add ice-cold water until the dough comes together. We formed it into two discs, chilled them for a few hours, and rolled them out. It was easy and completely worth the effort for such a flaky, buttery crust.
For the filling, we went back and forth on whether to use fresh or frozen cherries. In the end, we chose frozen because pitting cherries is a bit of a pain and fresh ones can be expensive. Frozen cherries also mean you can make this pie year-round. Since the fruit gets cooked anyway, we figured it would still be delicious. We used dark sweet cherries and cooked them down on the stove before assembling the pie.
To thicken the juices, we added cornstarch. Since neither of us likes desserts that are overly sweet, we used just ⅓ cup of sugar for 6 cups of cherries. We also added fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract. You only need ¼ teaspoon of almond extract because it’s quite potent, but it’s the secret ingredient that makes the filling taste extra special and really enhances the cherry flavor. We couldn’t stop licking the spoon! The filling was perfectly balanced: a little tart from the lemon, not too sweet, and packed with cherry flavor. At that point, I knew the pie was going to be fantastic.
Next, we poured the filling into the crust and dotted the top with small pieces of cold butter. As the pie bakes, the butter melts into the fruit, creating a rich layer that melds beautifully with the crust.
We decided to decorate the top with a lattice design. You cut the second round of dough into even strips, then lay half of them across the filling, leaving a little space between each one. Next, weave the remaining strips through, just like a basket. Of course, if you want to keep things simple, you can lay the whole round of dough on top and cut a few vents for the steam to escape.
We started the pie in a hot 400ºF oven to help set the crust, then reduced the temperature to 375ºF for the remainder of the bake. Be sure to let the pie cool before slicing into it, otherwise the filling will be runny.
We served it with vanilla ice cream, and I’m not kidding when I say it’s the best pie I’ve ever made. I enjoyed the leftovers for days.
My mom and I were both thrilled with how it turned out. We think it would be perfect for July 4th or any other summer gathering, and we can’t wait for you to give it a try! Recipe below:
Cherry Pie
The best pie I’ve ever made! You’ll make your own crust and cook down the cherry filling on the stove before assembling the pie. Not-too-sweet and perfect for the summer.
Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing weekend!
Love,
Maxine