Cherry Pie

This is a slice of the cherry pie I made last week. It was another recipe from Anyone Can Bake. Such a great book, I'm enjoying trying lots of new recipes from it. This one is a keeper although I made a few adjustments to it. I thought the filling seemed too much and left out some of it, mostly the juice, not really allowing for it to cook down. Next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I will just put it all in cause it can only make it better. I made a double pie crust using the book's recipe, adding a little sugar and letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight before rolling. Very good! And definitely worth buying a can of creamy custard from the English section at the grocery store :b

Lattice Cherry Pie

1 recipe pastry for Double-Crust Pie (see below) or one 15-ounce packaged rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrusts (2 crusts)
2 14 ½-ounce cans pitted tart red cherries (water pack)
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp almond extract

1. Prepare and roll out pastry or let refrigerated piecrusts stand at room temperature according to package directions. Line a 9-inch pie plate with a pastry circle. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into ½-inch-wide strips.

2. Preheat oven to 375F. For filling, drain cherries, reserving the liquid from one of the cans (discard liquid from the other can). In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Gradually stir in reserved cherry liquid. Cook and stir over medium-high heat just until bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in cherries, butter and almond extract.

3. Transfer filling to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim pastry to ½-inch beyond edge of pie plate. Weave pastry strips in a lattice pattern. Press ends of strips into bottom pastry rim. Fold bottom pastry over strip ends; seal and crimp edge.

4. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes more or until top is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 8 servings.

Double-Crust Pastry

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
8-10 tbsp ice cold water (I used 8)

In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened pastry to side of bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tbsp of the water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Divide pastry in half; form each half into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten one pastry ball. Roll pastry from the center to edges into a circle about 12-inches in diameter.

Wrap pastry around rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Transfer desired filling to pastry-lined pie plate. Trim pastry even with rim of pie plate (unless making a lattice-topped crust).

Roll remaining pastry ball into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Cut slits in pastry. Place pastry circle on filling; trim to ½ inch beyond edge of plate. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Bake as directed in recipes. Makes 8 slices (2 piecrusts).