i think it’s come to that time in our quarantined lives to start eating pie for dinner, don’t you? but giving in to the dessert as a meal ideology doesn’t have to come with antiquated techniques and  arduous steps. i had been making pie crust dough the same way for years; make the dough, wrap the dough, refrigerate the dough, and then roll out very cold, hard dough as it crumbles and makes me throw said dough out the window. these days, i roll my dough between two pieces of parchment and THEN refrigerate the rolled out sheets to firm up in order to created that flaky crust we all strive for. this rolling technique, coupled with using lard in my dough, are my two biggest secrets and here i am just giving them away! you can use my crust recipe to make a traditional round pie as well, but i’m partial to slab pies. they are easier to cut and they hold up beautifully if left in the pan to enjoy leftovers for days. we are big cherry fans over here, but this pie works well with blueberries or apples. don’t make me regret my generosity. make more pie!

cherry slab pie (makes one quarter sheet pan pie)

• 6 cups pitted sour cherries, defrosted and drained
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pie crust recipe *recipe below
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

pie crust (makes a top and bottom crust)

• 4 cups flour
  2  teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar 
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and dices
• 1/2 cup leaf lard, cold (rendered pork fat linked above)
• 6-12 tablespoons ice water

place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. add the butter and lard and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. with the machine running, add the ice water slowly through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two with one piece slightly larger than the other. At this point, you can roll each crust between pieces of parchment, into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle and refrigerate until firm. If using later, you can wrap the unrolled dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.

Transfer to a quarter sheet rimmed baking sheet, (pastry will hang over sides of pan). Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.

Drape the other rolled out crust over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with the heavy cream.

Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Cool pie in the pan until it reaches room temperature.

In a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top.