Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients

• 1600 g pitted cherries (3.5 lbs / about 10 cups (see recipe notes))
• 50 g sugar (¼ cup (white or brown sugar))
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt (not table salt)
• 80 mL red wine (⅓ cup (substitute with pomegranate juice or cherry juice or orange juice if you like))
• 150 g white sugar (¾ cup)
• 45 g cornstarch (4 ½ packed tbsp)
• 30 mL lemon juice (2 tbsp)

Steps

1. 1

   Use a cherry pitter to remove the seeds from the cherries. Weigh the pitted cherries to get the correct quantity for the recipe. This is the most time consuming part of the recipe unless you have a multi cherry pitter.

2. 2

   Divide the pitted cherries into two portions - 1000 g (6 ⅔ cups) and 600 g (3 ⅓ cups). See recipe notes about using frozen cherries.

3. 3

   Place the 600 g / 3 ⅓ cups of cherries in a large saucepan, along with the 50 g sugar, salt, and red wine. Cook the mixture over medium high heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmer the cherry mixture for about 20 minutes, until the mixture has a jammy consistency. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pot and stove, so cook the cherries until they are broken down and it has a thick, slightly jammy consistency.

4. 4

   When the cherries are almost done cooking, prepare the remaining cherries.

5. 5

   Place the remaining 1000 g / 6 ⅔ cups of cherries in a large bowl.

6. 6

   Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a smaller bowl and add this to the cherries, and stir / toss to coat the cherries with the cornstarch - sugar mixture.

7. 7

   Scrape all of this into the saucepan with the cooked cherry base, and stir to combine.

8. 8

   Cook the mixture over medium heat, while stirring. The liquid in the mixture should start to bubble / boil. Continue to cook while stirring for a further 5 - 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy. The cherries should still remain largely whole, but slightly softened and should not break down.

9. 9

   Add the lemon juice and cook for about 1 minute.

10. 10

    When the filling reaches a thick, glossy consistency, remove the pot from the stove.

11. 11

    Store the cherry filling in clean airtight containers. This will last in the fridge for about a week.

12. 12

    See recipe notes for other storage instructions.