Gordon Ramsay’s cherry pie is a French Pithiviers, two rounds of puff pastry sealed over a kirsch-spiked almond cream packed with cherries, baked until golden and puffed. It takes about an hour and makes two pies, each serving two to three.
Most cherry pies are just fruit in pastry. Gordon’s is closer to a jewel box: a crisp shell hiding a soft almond frangipane with whole cherries folded through, spiked with kirsch so the cherry flavour hits twice, once from the fruit and once from the brandy. He puts it in his special occasions chapter, and once you cut into one you’ll see why.
The move that makes it is chilling the filling into firm balls before you wrap the pastry round them. If the filling is soft it leaks out the sides as it bakes and you lose half the cream. Cold and firm, it holds its shape and melts slowly inside the puff, so every slice has a full pocket of almond and cherry.
Gordon Ramsay Cherry Pie
Course: DessertCuisine: British, FrenchDifficulty: Medium2 pies
(serves 4-6)30
minutes30
minutes730
kcalPuff pastry rounds sealed over a kirsch-spiked almond frangipane and cherries, scored with the classic Pithiviers crown pattern and baked golden. Makes 2 pies, each serves 2-3.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
100g butter, softened
125g icing sugar, sifted
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
125g ground almonds
15g cornflour
2 tbsp kirsch
100g morello cherries (from a jar, well drained) or marinated fresh cherries
- For the pastry:
340g ready-made all-butter puff pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten with a pinch of salt and a splash of cold water
Directions
- Make the filling: Cream the butter and icing sugar until pale and light. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Stir in the ground almonds and cornflour, then the kirsch. Pat the cherries dry and fold them in. Divide in half, shape each piece into a ball, and chill or freeze until firm.
- Cut the pastry: Halve the pastry. From each half, roll and cut one 13cm round and one 11cm round. Four rounds total, two large and two small.
- Assemble: Place each smaller round on a lined baking tray. Sit a ball of filling in the centre and brush the surrounding pastry with egg wash. Lay the larger round over the top, press out any air pockets and seal the edges firmly. Trim to a scalloped edge with the back of a knife, then score curved lines radiating from the centre, just marking the pastry, not cutting through.
- Chill and bake: Chill 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan, Gas 7). Brush with egg wash and bake 15 minutes until golden, then drop to 190C (170C fan, Gas 5) and bake another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on the tray, then slide onto a wire rack.
If you haven’t met a Pithiviers before, it’s one of the great French pastries: a crown-shaped almond pie traditionally baked for New Year, with a token hidden inside for luck. Gordon folds cherries into the frangipane and scores the top in curved lines so the pastry puffs into a dome rather than splitting at the sides.
FAQs
Can I use fresh cherries or do I need jarred?
Either works. Gordon says fresh marinated cherries are ideal, but a jar of morello cherries in syrup is the practical route. Drain them well and spike with the kirsch. Pat them dry before folding in, because wet cherries make the filling loose and the pastry soggy.
What does the kirsch actually do?
It’s cherry brandy, and it amplifies the cherry flavour without adding sugar. Two tablespoons is enough. You taste cherry, not alcohol, because it bakes off. If you can’t find kirsch, amaretto works but shifts the flavour toward marzipan.
Why score the pattern on top?
It’s not just decoration. The curved lines let steam escape evenly as the pastry puffs, so the top rises in a dome instead of splitting at the sides. Use the back of a knife and don’t press too hard, you want to mark the surface, not cut through.
How do I stop the filling leaking out?
Chill or freeze the filling balls until they’re properly firm before you wrap the pastry round them. If they’re soft, the heat pushes the cream out through the seal before the pastry sets. Press the edges firmly and make sure there are no air pockets trapped inside.
Is there a simpler cherry dessert from Gordon?
His cherry and almond clafoutis. It’s a baked almond batter poured over fresh cherries in a pan, 20 minutes in the oven, no pastry work at all. He says the batter is better rested a full day before baking. If you want pastry but something quicker, his apple pie and mince pies use simpler shortcrust rather than puff.
Does it keep?
Best the day it’s baked, while the pastry is still crisp and the filling is soft. Puff pastry goes flat if it sits. If you need a make-ahead dessert, his lemon meringue pie holds in the fridge for days.
