Cherry pie for Presidents Day? OK, but fair warning. It's all a lie

What's the all-American pie? Apple, or cherry?

Most of us would — likely — say apple. The phrase, after all, is "American as apple pie."

Except when it isn't.

"Violence is as American as cherry pie," said the revolutionary H. Rap Brown in 1967. His pie preference — like the rest of his statement — could be considered inflammatory. But he may have a point.

Cherry Pie, after all, is the traditional pie of Washington's Birthday. Presidents Day — into which Washington's Birthday was enfolded in 1971 — is Feb. 16.

"It's an American staple, along with the stars and stripes and monuments to the presidents," said Marjorie Priceman, author of the children's book “How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the USA.”

America's story, baked in a pie

In her book, a little girl travels across the country, seeing the sights as she gathers the tools she'll need to make her pie.

"It's the story of a journey across the colorful tapestry of the states," Priceman said. "George Washington gets a couple of shout-outs in the story."

Nor is Washington the only American with ties to cherry pie. It was also the go-to dessert of Billy Boy.

Remember Billy Boy? In the folk song, he's cross-examined about his choice of wife. "Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Can she bake a cherry pie, charming Billy?"

She can indeed — as Billy Boy is glad to report. "She can bake a cherry pie, quick as you can wink an eye."

A 1983 film, "Can She Bake a Cherry Pie," references both the song, and the tradition it represents. "Feeding has always been closely linked with courtship," wrote anthropologist Robin Fox about the lyric.

"The bride is usually appraised for her cooking ability," he wrote. "In some cultures this is far more important than her virginity."

Simply yummy— but not so simple to make

Cherry pie, in fact, might be the acid test for any wife.

"I don't think there are any other pies that are as labor intensive," said Chelsea Frost, whose shop Pie Girl in Hightstown features a weekly selection of crusty, fruity treats.

Everything from classic pies like apple and pumpkin to exotic concoctions like guava raspberry cream and black tea and rose custard has a place on her display table.

Chelsea Frost and pie

The one pie she doesn't make? Cherry.

Not because she doesn't love it. But because — like the George Washington cherry-tree legend — it's problematic.

"Could I pit all those cherries? Yes," she said. "But how expensive would that pie be for me to sell, based on how much time it took me? One cherry pie is no big deal. But making 20 of them would be a lot."

Taking an ax to the cherry tree story

One thing most of us would agree on: cherry pie is delicious.

Easier to swallow, certainly, than the cherry tree myth that — 226 years ago — forever linked the fruit to our first president.

You remember the story. Papa Washington, in a highly questionable parenting choice, gives his 6-year-old son a hatchet. George, naturally, goes on a rampage, chopping down dad's prize cherry tree. But — the story moralizes — at least he 'fesses up.

"I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet." Pa is overjoyed. "Run to my arms," he says. "Glad am I, George, that you killed my tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold."

That story was first told by Parson Weems in his 1800 "The Life of Washington," the earliest biography of America's national hero. He claimed to have heard it from "an aged lady, who...when a girl, spent much of her time in the family."

Pies, and lies

Ironically, the most famous of all stories to moralize against lying is, itself, probably a lie. Most historians think it's bunk. But because it ended up in the McGuffey Reader, the primer widely used by 19th century schoolchildren, it became part of American lore.

Which is why grandma used to bake a cherry pie, each February, for Washington's birthday. And why you might have a hankering, this month, for a slice yourself.

"That's what you find at a New Jersey diner," Frost said. "Which is a beautiful thing. People love a diner pie."

Sour Cherry Pie

A fresh sour cherry pie.

My editor, Liz Johnson, is an urban gardener who lives on a small plot of land she calls Sour Cherry Farm. She grows sour cherries — two varieties, Montmorency and North Star — as well as pears, figs, blueberries and currants in her back yard in Nyack, New York. Each year in late spring or early summer, when the sour cherries are at their peak, she bakes sour cherry pies. She pickles or preserves the rest of the harvest. Here is her pie recipe.

No-Fail Pie Crust

Liz says you can use this or any double-crust pie recipe you like. Lattice is a fun way to dress up a sour cherry pie, or you can just seal it off and vent the top crust. Adapted from Saveur magazine, which said it was its adaptation of a pie from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Pie and Pastry Bible” (Scribner, 1998).

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons pastry flour1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon baking powder9 tablespoons cold cream cheese12 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces1 tablespoon cider vinegar2 tablespoons ice water1 eggSplash of milkSugar for sprinkling

Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces and put on a plate. Put the plate in the fridge. Place flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Use your fingers to pull chunks of cream cheese from the bar and throw into flour mixture. Pulse a couple of times until the mixture begins to resemble coarse meal. Add the cold butter to the bowl of the processor. Pulse until mixture is flecked with pea-sized pieces of butter. Sprinkle in vinegar and ice water, pulse a couple of more times. Pinch the mixture to see that it holds together. Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. It will not have come completely together yet. Quickly knead dough until smooth. Divide dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, flatten each into a disk and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Sour Cherry Pie

1 recipe pie crust yielding two crusts4-6 cups sour cherries, washed, stemmed and pitted (depending on how deep your pie dish is)1 cup sugar1/3 cup flour1 teaspoon almond extract1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar1 tablespoon butter, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine cherries, sugar, flour, almond extract, vanilla extract and vinegar in a bowl. Dot with butter, if you like. (Liz never does.) Set aside.

Roll one pie disc onto a lightly floured surface into an 11-inch round, then ease into a 9-inch pie pan. Prick the base and sides of the crust with a fork to allow for air to release while baking.

Stir filling, then transfer to pastry. Roll remaining dough out into a 10-inch round. You may either cut into lattice or cover the filling with a top crust. Seal edges and make thumbprints on the side, if desired. If you have a top crust, cut slits in the center to allow steam to escape.

Beat egg with milk and brush over the top crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until pie filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.