February is Cherry Pie Month

With Presidents' Day (remember George Washington and the cherry tree story?), Valentine's Day, and the gloom of winter, February is a perfect month for Cherry Pie. February 20 is even denoted as National Cherry Pie Day. We recently enjoyed a pie from frozen cherries. I finally feel like I've got the right recipes for both the pie filling and the crust! The bad news is that was the last of my frozen cherries! I'll be working on another filling next.
One of my 'retirement' goals is to learn to make a good pie crust. This one seems like the best I've found. I was able to get it blended together, chilled and rolled out without too many problems and there was enough crust for my favorite pie pan which is large.

CHERRY PIE

4 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries

1 – 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

your favorite pie crust for 2 crust pie

1 ½ tablespoons butter, to dot

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Directions:

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. Ad 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; to thin, add more cornstarch.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare the crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 – 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 oven and place on a rack to cool.

 

Crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold butter

½ cup shortening

¼ cup cold water

3 Tablespoons sour cream

1 egg

Cut together the flour, salt, butter, and shortening until pea-sized chunks.

Whisk the wet ingredients together and drizzle over the dry mixture. Toss with a fork until lightly mixed. Divide into 2 discs and chill for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to use, roll out to desired size.