Cherry Pie

Recipe from Penzeys Spices

INGREDIENTS:

Pie crust:

12 TB. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
3-6 TB. milk
1 egg white, beaten, for brushing crust

Cherry Pie Filling:

4 Cups plain pitted tart cherries, completely drained (the juice is good added to smoothies, juice mixes or cocktails)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
3 TB. ARROWROOT STARCH
2 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

LET'S MAKE THE PIE:

To prepare the crust, cut the butter into small pieces; it doesn't have to be cold, but it should not be warm to the point of melting. Add the flour, salt, and sugar and beat or mix by hand to combine. Add the milk in a thin stream, mixing with a spoon until thoroughly blended. The dough should just hold together. Some days 3 TB. are enough, other days all 6 are needed. Form into 2 balls, one twice as big as the other. The large one will be the crust, the small one will be the lattice top. Wrap and chill until they can be easily handled-20 minutes will usually be enough. Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare the filling while the dough rests by putting the well-drained cherries into a large mixing bowl. Cover with sugar and ARROWROOT STARCH, add the VANILLA EXTRACT and mix well. Set aside while rolling the crust.

Sprinkle a wooden board or counter top with flour, place the larger dough ball on the board, and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Using short strokes, roll it from the center to the edges until it is 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. You will want to turn the dough over and re-dust with flour halfway through. Roll until the crust is about an inch larger in diameter than your 9-inch pie pan when inverted. Fold the crust in half and in half again so that it looks like a triangle. Place it in the ungreased pie pan with the point in the center. Unfold the crust and ease it into the pan. Roll the edges of the overhanging crust under so that you have a nice rim around the pie plate. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Brush with 1/2 of the beaten egg white before filling and baking, so the cherry filling doesn't cause the crust to get soggy.

Roll the second smaller ball of dough out into a rectangle 1/8-inch thick. The object is to get at least 8 good pliable strips for the lattice. Cut with a sharp knife, figuring the smaller outside strips will be on the edges of the pie and the largest one will cross the middle.

Once the lattice is rolled and cut, fill the pie with the fruit filling. Lay the two longest lattice strips in an x across the center of the pie, and weave the rest of the pieces in, going over and under. Use a fork or your fingers to press around the rim of the pie to both make a nice pattern and firmly secure the lattice. Brush the lattice strips with the remaining egg white and sprinkle with sugar if desired before baking. Bake for 10 minutes at 375°, then reduce heat and bake for one hour at 350°. Check after 30 minutes; if the edges are already brown, cover with foil.

Cool for at least 2 hours before cutting, as nothing is hotter than the molten cherry filling in the pie when it first comes out of the oven, so be careful not to tip and spill it! Cherry pie is difficult to slice cleanly while it is warm, so let it completely cool before slicing, or eat it warm but figure the slices won't look quite as perfect as they taste.

Yield: 1 pie
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 60-70 minutes
Resting time: 2 hours

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE LEAVE US A COMMENT BELOW. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT. :)