Cherry Marsala Pie: A Boozy Spin on a Bombshell Classic

There is something about Cherry Pie that just screams Americana-but I prefer mine with a little twist (or shall I say nip!). Because around here, we don’t do basic and…. we like our booze!

This is my Cherry Marsala Frangipane Pie. It’s got ultra tart and juicy cherries, swimming in a deep cherry & marsala wine reduction, kissed with vanilla and a splash of lemon atop the sweet creamy goodness that is frangipane. Both my Pie Crust and Frangipane recipes below can be used for other pies/tarts.

The Rockabilly Baker

Pie Crust (Double Crust Pie)

This crust is pure golden, buttery magic. Crisp, tender & flaky… ready to cradle any filling you want to throw its way. Dough can be made up to 1-2 days ahead.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 300 GRAMS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR CHILLED
• ½ TSP FINE KOSHER SALT
• 1 TBLS SUGAR
• 230 GRAMS UNSALTED BUTTER CUBED & COLD (European Butter or Butter with a high fat content works best)
• 120 GRAMS ICE COLD WATER
• 1 TBS NEUTRAL OIL YOU CAN ALSO USE NUT OILS SUCH AS ALMOND, HAZELNUT, PISTACHIO OR WALNUT

Equipment

• Bench Scraper
• Tea Towel
• Rolling Pin
• Food Processor w. Blade Attachment

Method

 

1. MIX FLOUR, SUGAR AND SALT IN FOOD PROCESSOR, PULSING ONCE OR TWICE TO COMBINE
2. ADD HALF OF THE BUTTER TO FLOUR MIXTURE AND PULSE UNTIL COARSE PEA SIZE CHUNKS
3. ADD REMAINING BUTTER AND PULSE AGAIN UNTIL SMALL PEA SIZE CHUNKS REMAIN, ABOUT 2-3 PULSES (BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWORK)
4. COMBINE WATER & OIL. ADD HALF OF WATER SOLUTION TO DRY INGREDIENTS AND PULSE 1-2 TIMES
5. ADD REMAINING WATER. PULSE AGAIN JUST 1-2 TIMES BEING VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVERMIX
6. MIXTURE WILL LOOK SLIGHTLY DRY AND CHUNKY (DON’T WORRY!)
7. TURN MIXTURE OUT ONTO TEA TOWEL AND GATHER TOWEL TO COLLECT ALL OF THE MIXTURE, TWIST SLIGHTLY
8. REMOVE TEA TOWEL AND USING BENCH SCRAPER CUT DOUGH IN HALF. STACK ONE HALF OVER THE OTHER AND PRESS
9. CUT IN HALF AGAIN AND REPEAT UNTIL YOU’VE STACKED / CUT 5 TIMES. (SEE VIDEO ON INSTAGRAM)
10. SEPARATE INTO TWO EQUAL DISKS, WRAP IN CLING FILM AND REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST 2-3 HOURS (OR OVERNIGHT) TO ALLOW THE FLOUR TO HYDRATE

Video

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs_XHjQMxXg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MXJzODg2N2l2NGE5aA==

Notes

• REPLACE COLD BUTTER WITH COLD BROWN BUTTER OR VANILLA BUTTER
• ADD A PINCH OF SPICE FOR A SPICY CRUST (LIKE CAYENNE, CINNAMON, BLACK PEPPER, OR GINGER)
• REPLACE 1-2 T OF FLOUR WITH COCOA POWDER FOR A CHOCOLATE CRUST

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Cherry Marsala Pie

The Perfect Summer Cutie Pie! Tart meets Tangy with a spin on the classic… tart, sour cherries swimming in a sweet & sour marsala sauce, layered atop a sweet almond frangipane. This pie would be perfect with a big scoop of vanilla!

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Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 8

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 850 grams Tart or Sour Cherries (canned) Cherries MUST be the sour or tart variety
• 250 grams Sugar Separated by 200g & 50g
• 1/4 tsp Fine Salt
• 3 Tbls Instant Clear Jel
• 1 Tbls Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Juice of Lemon
• 120 grams Marsala Wine
• 1 tsp Vanilla Paste

Equipment

• 1 Baking Sheet
• 1 Saucepan

Method

 

Make the Cherry Pie Filling

1. Preheat oven to 400F (Convection). Place pizza stone in oven if you have one.
2. Drain Cherries and reserve juice. Leave cherries to drain while continuing.
3. Add Marsala to a liquid measuring cup to total 1/2 cup. Add some of the reserved cherry juice until you have a total of 2 cups of liquid.
4. Place Cherry/Marsala liquid into a small saucepan with 50 gr of the sugar
5. Bring to a boil and simmer on Medium Heat until reduced a little more than half. This should take about 20 mins. You should have about 3/4 cup when finished (please note ** You will only need 1/2 cup of the reduction for this recipe. You can save the remaining for a glaze on fresh fruit or a sweet, fruity addition to your favorite summer cocktail.
6. Meanwhile, in medium sized bowl whisk together remaining sugar, salt and instant clear jel until completely mixed.
7. Once liquid has been reduced, mix only a 1/2 cup of the thickened cherry liquid with juice of half a lemon and vanilla.
8. Add this liquid mixture to your reserved sugar mixture. Whisk until no lumps and mixture is smooth and thick.
   
9. Gently toss in the drained cherries.
   
10. Roll out your pie dough and place bottom crust in 8 in pie tin.
11. Add a layer of frangipane to the bottom (remember, only use half or less of the original recipe. Reserve remaining frangipane for another use).
    
12. Spoon on cooled cherry mixture and dot the top with butter.
    
13. Roll out remaining dough and place atop cherry filling. Crimp edges and cut vents in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Decorate with any remaining dough. I used cherry cookie cutters to cut a cute cherry design.
    
14. Place pie on parchment lined baking tray and bake at 400F (Convect) for 15 minutes.
15. After 15 mins, reduce temp to 350F and continue baking for 45 minutes. If you have silicon edge covers, you'll want to place them on your crust at this time. You can also use foil to protect the outer crust.
16. Remove from oven and cool at least 3-4 hours before slicing. Enjoy!
    

Notes

Not an Almond Lover? You can remove the frangipane in this recipe and double the amount of Cherry Filling for an all Cherry Marsala Pie! 

Don’t love Marsala? Try adding Brandy or Amaretto instead. Both would work beautifully with the tart Cherries. Happy Baking!  

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