No real blood here: just a ruby beauty of pie that you can pull off in under an hour if you have some piecrust already on hand.

This is the best cherry pie I have ever had, and that’s saying a lot.  I like pie.  This gem is not too sweet, is packed with lots of cherries, and just touched with a wisp of cinnamon and an undertone of almond…perfect.  It is also about the easiest pie you can make.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

¼ cup flour

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1-2 tablespoons butter, cut into little pieces

2 cans (14.5 ounces) pitted tart red cherries.  Alert: Don’t use pie filling!  You want pitted red tart cherries packed in water.  And…you are only going to use half of the second can.  Put the rest of the cherries in the fridge and spoon them into yogurt or over ice cream later for a lovely treat.

2 tablespoons milk or cream

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie.  Use your favorite.

How to Make It:

Preheat your oven to 425F.

Fit your bottom crust into your 9-inch pie plate.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and one can of undrained cherries.  Yes, use all that liquid.  Open the second can, and add half of the cherries and a spoonful or two of the liquid.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils.  This will take about 7 minutes.   It thickens beautifully!  Remove from the heat, and stir in the almond extract.

Pour the cherry mixture into your pie shell.  Dot with the butter.  Cover with the top pie crust.

 

I pinch the crusts together the way my mom showed me long ago.  Tuck the top crust in with the edges behind the bottom crust.  Using both hands, pinch and seal the dough with your pointer fingers and thumbs, giving a tiny twist.  Your right hand angles away, left hand angles toward you just a tiny bit.   Do this all around the pie.  Sorry there’s no picture: I needed both hands!

Brush the top with your milk or cream.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar.  Cut a few slits in the top of the crust with a sharp knife to help release the steam as it bakes.    No milk or cream?  Use a beaten egg white for a nice deeper browning and still sprinkle the top with sugar.

Bake at 425F for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is brown.  You don’t really need to put piecrust shields or foil over the edges in this case, it won’t over-brown.

Let it cool to room temperature before slicing.   You did it!

Sadly (well, for you), we ate the entire pie before I could get a nice picture of a slice to put at the end, here.  That’s how good it is.  Try it!