Classic Cherry Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Make pastry: Place flour, salt, butter, and shortening in food processor and process just until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Or mix flour and salt in mixing bowl and cut int butter and shortening with pastry blender. Sprinkle about 5 T. water over flour mixture; process or mix with fork until dough comes together, adding remaining water as needed. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one twice as big as the other. Refrigerate both pieces wrapped in plastic wrap at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile make filling: Mix sugar and cornstarch in large bowl. Add cherries, vanilla and almond extracts, and pinch salt; stir to combine. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Roll out larger piece of pastry to 14" circle on well-floured surface. Line 9" deep dish pie plate with pastry and trim to a 1" overhang. Mix egg and 1/4 t. salt and brush over bottom and side of pastry. Stir cherries and pour into pastry. Top with butter.
• Roll out remaining dough to 10" circle. Cut into 1/2" strips. Arrange strips in lattice pattern over filling, painting ends with egg glaze to stick to bottom crust. Fold over edges and crisp. Brush rim and lattice with glaze.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until crust is golden and cherries are tender, 30-40 minutes longer. If edges brown too quickly, cover with strips of aluminum foil.

Steps:

• Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
• For filling:
• Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Press the bottom pie crust into a pie pan.
• Combine cherries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and almond extract together in bowl. Refrigerate until cherry filling begins to set, about 10 minutes. Stir filling again; chill until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Pour the filling into the bottom half of the pie crust; cover with top crust, crimp the edges to seal, and dot with butter. Cut vents into the top with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; rotate the pie 1/4 of a turn. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.