Homemade Cherry Pie

It's cherry season, so this would be the summer dish I would use to make my son his annual homemade local "fresh fruit" dessert with.  I'd lie if I didn't say I'm thinking about this song as I write this.  I actually love cherry pie and can't even remember the last time I've had a slice -  maybe when I was a kid?  This will be rare dessert that I taste test myself.  I was going to make my own pie dough too...🤞

I made the dough in the morning.  I followed Ina's recipe as is and measured exactly.  Success - at least so far with the dough...

It was easier than I thought, but also messier.  Me and flour do not get along well.  I figured it'd be enough work pitting all those cherries one by one and wanted to ease the work load so did this in two stages.  I don't own a cherry pitter so I was going to try a chopstick.  I decided to base mine on a simple recipe for a novice.  I tailored it to me since I cut down on sugar and wanted eggwash etc...  I don't really enjoy baking and making my own crust was stressful enough for this dish, but making pie dough is something I want to conquer and overcome...summer tomato pie is next on my list...

• 2 lbs fresh cherries, pitted

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 
• 1 lemon, zested and half juiced
• Ina Garten's Perfect Pie Crust recipe for a 2 crust pie
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, to dot
• 1 egg & 1 tablespoon water, beaten until combined well
• 1 tablespoon unrefined organic coconut sugar, to sprinkle on top

I sat in front of my television and pitted my cherries.  I washed them first then had a sauce pan for the finished ones to go into, a separate bowl for the pits and stems.

OMG, ugh!  The chopstick pushed well into the cherry and hit the pit, but getting it out was another matter.  And messy, oh geez, I had juice all over my hands and table - I had my Tide stick out too, lol.  I would have to stop after every few and just go rinse my hands.  This was not an enjoyable task at all for me.  😒  Some were easier to do than others, like anything, but it seemed most were hard and I had to really dig to get the pits out.  This took me 40 minutes straight to complete this task.  If I love this and think about doing it again,  I will buy a cherry pitter and do the job right.

I put the cherries over medium-low heat and covered.  I waited until the juices exuded from them.  In the meantime I mixed the cornstarch and sugar together.  I removed from heat and stirred in the mixture along with the almond extract.  I returned to medium heat and brought to a boil.  When thickened I had to add more water as it it was waaay too thick.  I had a taste to make sure it was okay and it was - sweet and mild almond flavor.  I had one more taste and decided I should put some lemon zest in and lemon juice.  Then I thought it had the perfect tartness.  I set aside to cool.

I still had dinner to make and I was exhausted already and I haven't even rolled out the dough yet...  🤨 When it was time, I took it out of the fridge and let it sit for a half hour.  I preheated the oven to 375°F.  I crossed my fingers and rolled the dough.  I put the pie plate on a foil lined baking sheet.  To pick the dough up I used my rolling pin and then laid it over the pie plate.

First layer was okay.  I poured the cherries in.

I was supposed to dot butter on top here, but I forgot.  It was sitting in the fridge and I just forget the step all together.  I hoped it didn't matter too much.  I moistened the edges of the crust with water so the top crust would adhere.  I laid the dough over top but unevenly so had to patch it as I couldn't pick it up and move it.

I crimped the edges with a fork - very basic and simple.  I sliced 6 slits like a star into the center.  I brushed on the egg wash and sprinkled the coconut sugar on top.  This went into the oven for 50 minutes and I set the timer.  I let it go for 10 more minutes as it wasn't quite as golden brown as I wanted.

I put this on a rack and let cool for a few hours until it was time for dessert.

I will always be super critical of anything I make.  The crust was very good.  Flaky, buttery, crisp.  The filling was tart.  Maybe a tad under sweet?  However, vanilla ice cream balanced it out.  I'll definitely be keeping that pie crust recipe for sure.  Maybe blueberry pie next since they're in season right now too...