Ingredients
Crust:
15 ounces flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 ounces cold shortening
16 Tablespoons cold butter
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 ounces cold water
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
Chocolate topping:
1 cup chocolate cake crumbs
3 Tablespoons almond paste
4 Tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
1 Tablespoon golden syrup
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Filling:
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons minute tapioca, ground fine
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup sweet cherries
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup dried sour cherries
3 ½ cups frozen sour cherries
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Decoration:
1 maraschino cherry
2 chocolate candymelts
Directions
Crust:
Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in bowl of food processor. Add shortening and process until well incorporated. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized nuggets of butter remain. Add water and vinegar and pulse until dough is just holding together. Divide into 2 discs. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator.
Roll out top crust and place onto silicone impression mat. Place in freezer.
Chocolate topping:
Place crumbs, almond paste, butter, egg, syrup, and chocolate into food processer and process until smooth. Spread chocolate filling in ring mold on a silpat and chill in freezer.
Filling:
Mix tapioca, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Finely chop sweet cherries and add to another bowl along with lemon juice. Add dried and frozen sour cherries and place mixture into vacuum sealable bag. Stir in the sugar mixture and seal bag. Cook in waterbath at 150ï‚°F degrees for 1 hour. Remove and cool on the countertop for 5 minutes.
Roll out bottom crust and place into pie plate. Remove impression mat from top crust and cut out central vent. Pour cherry filling into pie. Place chocolate topping on top. Place top crust on top. Trim and crimp edges decoratively. Trim and crimp edges. Chill pie in freezer for 20 minutes while preheating oven to 425ï‚°F. Stir egg yolk and heavy cream together and brush over top crust.
Brush with egg yolk and cream mixture. Place pie in oven on bottom rack and immediately reduce to 400ï‚°F. After 15 minutes, rotate pie and cover edge with pie ring. Bake for an additional 40 minutes.
Decoration:
Dip the cherry in the melted chocolate and place on top of the cooled pie.