Pi Day recipe: checkerboard cherry pie

Life is a bowl of cherries when you dig into a wedge of this juicy pie. Enjoy — without feeling guilty! The crust bakes up delectably flaky from a combination of reduced-fat sour cream and a little margarine.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 8

• 500 g (2 c) all-purpose flour
• 250 g (1 c) sugar
• 1 ml (1.4 tsp) plus a dash of salt
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) cold margarine, cut up
• 125 ml (1/2 c) reduced-fat sour cream
• 45 to 60 ml (3 to 4 tbsp) ice water
• 2 cans (410 ml/14 1/2 oz each) sour cherries packed in water, drained
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) cornstarch
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) almond extract
• 1 egg white beaten with 5 ml (1 tsp) water

1. Pulse flour, 30 millilitres (2 tablespoons) sugar and 1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) salt in food processor to mix. Add margarine and pulse until coarse crumbs form. With motor running, add sour cream, then water, 15 millilitres (1 tablespoon) at a time and process until pastry holds together. Shape into two 20-centimetre (8-inch) disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cherries, 175 grams (3/4 cup) sugar, cornstarch, almond extract and a dash of salt in large bowl. Set aside.

2. Coat 23-centimetre (9-inch) pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly flour work surface and roll out pastry disk into 38-centimetre (15-inch) round. Gently roll pastry onto rolling pin and ease into pie plate. Trim edge, leaving 2.5-centimetre (1-inch) overhang. Brush pastry with about 10 millilitres (2 teaspoons) egg-white mixture. Spoon in cherry filling.

3. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and arrange oven rack in centre. Roll out remaining disk of pastry into 30-centimetre (12-inch) round. Cut pastry into 1.5-centimetre (3/4-inch) wide strips with fluted pastry or pizza wheel. Weave strips on top of pie filling to make lattice pattern. Trim strips, leaving a 2.5-centimetre (1-inch) overhang. Make a 2.5-centimetre (1-inch) stand-up edge, folding in the ends of lattice strips as you go. Flute edge.

4. Brush top of pie with remaining egg-white mixture and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Place pie on foil-lined oven rack to catch any overflow. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake until crust is lightly browned and juices are bubbling in center, 35 to 40 minutes.

• Use 1 kilogram (4 cups) pitted frozen cherries instead of canned cherries.
• Make this a blueberry pie using canned or frozen blueberries.

• The pastry gets its flaky texture from a combination of reduced-fat sour cream and just a little margarine. This combination makes quite a difference fat-wise as compared to traditional lard-laden crusts.
• While the vitamin C in cherries get diminished from cooking, cherries are particularly rich in phytochemicals that battle free radicals, inhibit inflammation and help keep arteries healthy. This combination makes them a particularly fine food for improving blood pressure.

Each serving provides:

Key nutrients: 300 Calories, 45 Calories from Fat, 5 g Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 5 g Protein, 61 g Carb, 2 g Fibre, 60 mg Sodium
Blood pressure nutrients: 2 mg Vitamin C, 15 mg Magnesium, 161 mg Potassium, 33 mg Calcium