Serbian cuisine · Dessert or sweet pastry

Pita sa višnjama

Well-drained sour cherries are mixed with sugar and semolina, rolled in thin filo and baked until the pastry is deep golden. A short cooling period lets the bright cherry juices thicken for cleaner slices.

Serbian National Dishes
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Pita sa višnjama
Yield 12 pieces
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 40 minutes
Passive time 20 minutes
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Pita sa Višnjama — Rolled Sour Cherry Filo Pie

Pita sa višnjama is a rolled filo pie filled with sour cherries, sugar and a small amount of semolina. Sour cherries give the pastry its defining balance: they remain sharply fruity even after sweetening, so the finished slice is brighter than a pie made with mild sweet cherries. Rolled sour-cherry pies are well established in Serbian and wider Balkan home baking, although coatings and binders vary from kitchen to kitchen.

The technical problem is fruit juice. Fresh or thawed cherries can release enough liquid to split the rolls, wash sugar onto the tray and soften the lower layers of filo. The cherries are therefore drained thoroughly before sugar, vanilla sugar and semolina are added. A ten-minute rest gives semolina time to take up part of the remaining juice without turning the filling pasty.

The pastry itself is kept supple with a light oil-and-sparkling-water mixture. The cherry filling is laid in a narrow band so the rolls stay relatively slim; packing a thick tube of fruit inside filo makes the centre harder to contain and encourages leaking. The roll should be snug enough to hold its shape but not compressed, because the fruit needs a little room as hot juice and steam develop.

At 200 °C, the filo should become deep golden in about 40 minutes. A little cherry bubbling at the seams is normal, but a tray flooded with syrup usually points to insufficient draining or overfilled rolls. Cooling for ten minutes is part of the structure, not merely a serving delay: the hot fruit juices thicken as they settle, giving cleaner slices and reducing the risk of burning the mouth on concentrated syrup.

The pie needs little embellishment. Once cool enough to cut, a light dusting of icing sugar is sufficient. The finished piece should have crisp flakes at the edges, tender pastry closer to the filling and whole or partly intact sour cherries held by a lightly thickened juice rather than a dense starch gel.

Practical

Practical

  • Control the fruit juiceDrain thawed cherries thoroughly and check by hand that every pit is removed.
  • Bind without pastinessUse enough semolina to bind juice without turning the filling pasty.
  • Protect unused filoKeep unused filo covered during assembly.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Cherry filling

  • 700 g pitted sour cherries — fresh or thawed, well drained
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 10 g vanilla sugar
  • 60 g fine semolina

Pastry and brushing

  • 500 g thin filo pastry
  • 100 g sunflower oil
  • 150 ml sparkling water

Finish

  • 20 g icing sugar — for dusting
Directions

Directions

Control the fruit moisture

  1. Drain and bind the cherriesCheck the 700 g pitted sour cherries carefully for stray pits, then drain them thoroughly in a colander. Combine with 150 g granulated sugar, 10 g vanilla sugar and 60 g semolina. Allow about 10 active minutes for checking and mixing, then leave the fruit for 10 minutes so the semolina begins to bind the remaining juice.

Roll and bake

  1. Mix the brushing liquidStir together the 100 g sunflower oil and 150 ml sparkling water for about 2 minutes, ready for light brushing.

  2. Build the rollsKeep the 500 g filo covered between uses. Brush the sheets lightly, arrange the cherry mixture in narrow rows and roll snugly without squeezing the fruit. Transfer the rolls to a lined tray and avoid packing them tightly. Assembly should take about 8 minutes.

  3. Bake to a crisp shellBake at 200 °C for about 40 minutes, until the tops and undersides are deep golden. A little bubbling at a seam is normal, but the tray should not be flooded with cherry syrup.

  4. Cool before dustingLeave the rolls for 10 minutes so the hot fruit juices thicken enough for clean slices. Dust with the 20 g icing sugar and cut into 12 pieces only after this short cooling period.

Practical

Practical

Serving

Serve the pie cool to lukewarm, after the cherry juices have thickened. It needs no sauce; a light dusting of icing sugar is enough to soften the sharp edge of the sour fruit without hiding it.

Make ahead

The rolls can be assembled up to 1 hour before baking if they are kept covered and refrigerated. Longer holding gives the fruit more time to wet the filo, so it is better to bake promptly once the rolls are formed.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate cooled pie at 4 °C or below for up to 3 days. Re-crisp portions in a 180 °C oven. If refrigerated leftovers are served hot, heat the centre to 74 °C.

Substitution

Replace the 60 g semolina with 50 g fine dry breadcrumbs if necessary. Breadcrumbs bind cherry juice more quickly but give a slightly drier, less delicate fruit layer.

Control points

Control points

  • Filo bursts and leaks syrupGuidance: Cherries were too wet or the roll was packed too tightly.Adjustment: Drain longer, keep a narrow filling band and leave slight expansion room.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Serving size1 of 12 pieces
  • Calories305 kcal
  • Carbohydrates47 g
  • Protein4 g
  • Fat11 g
  • Fibre2 g
  • Sodium200 mg

These figures are approximate; ingredient brands and exact portioning can change the final values.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Wheat/gluten. Packaged filo may carry manufacturer-declared cross-contact allergens. Check all cherries manually for stray pits before filling. Refrigerate cooled leftovers within 2 hours at 4 °C or below; reheat refrigerated leftovers to 74 °C when serving hot.

FAQ

FAQ

Can frozen sour cherries be used?

Yes, if they are fully thawed, checked for pits and drained very thoroughly. The important point is the amount of free juice entering the filo, not whether the fruit began fresh or frozen.

Result: Deep-golden filo with bright sour cherries held in a lightly thickened juice that stays inside clean slices.

Key: Drain the cherries thoroughly, use semolina as a restrained binder and give the baked rolls time to cool before cutting.