Red Cherries are in peak season around May-June here, and they are one of my husband Ben’s favorite fruits. This year we decided to try out our new cherry pitter, which is a handy tool that’s shaped like a stapler and you can pierce out the cherry seeds very efficiently. We had Ben pit 4 pounds of cherries in no time, mostly for this pie but with lots leftover for munching as well. We decided to learn how to make a lattice top crust for this pie (actually quite easy to do! – check out the Pie Crust recipe for step-by-step instructions and pictures), and we’re really happy with how pretty it turned out! Looks like a real pie! And the taste was delicious, too. Just lots of cherries, some sugar and a touch of almond extract which really does bring out the aroma and flavors of the cherries. We’re definitely going to be hooked on this pie for every cherry season to come!
Cherry Pie
Ingredients
For the filling
- 5 cups fresh cherries pitted and stems removed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
For the crust
- 2 10-inch crust pie dough link to recipe in Notes section below
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Prepare the pie filling
- Place the pitted cherries in a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cover the pot with a lid. Stir occasionally to ensure that the cherries don’t burn. After the cherries lose considerable juice, remove from heat. This may take about 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well.
- Add the almond extract and mix.
- Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently.
- Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
Assemble the pie
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
- See Pie Crust recipe (link in Notes section below), and follow the instructions for a lattice top crust.
Bake the pie
- Place the pie on the lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until the top crust has browned, about 50 minutes.
Cool the pie
- Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
