Cherry Pie

Crust

Makes 3 pie crusts
3 cups flour
1-1/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar

Use a fork or a pastry blender to crumb the Crisco into the flour until it forms little balls about the size of peas  Mix all the other ingredients together, and add to the flour-Crisco mixture using a spoon.

Use a rolling pin with decisive strokes to make each circle of dough on a flour-coated surface, coating the dough with liberal amounts of extra flour when it gets sticky.  Use a spatula under the rolled-out dough to free up and fold each circle into quarters.  Put the folded dough into the the pie plate, unfold and use your hands to shape it to shape it to the plate.

It's OK if it breaks apart, just work your will on it.  It gets easier with practice.  Geraldine could practically do it in her sleep, and I've gotten close to that stage myself

Filling:
As you're preparing the filling, preheat the oven to 425.

Pour into a colander set over a bowl:

• 3 pounds bottled or canned unsweetened cherries (2 big jars, or 3 smaller cans) (Morello cherries from Trader Joe's).  Shake the cherries to drain, and save 1/2 cup of the juice.  Combine cherries and juice with:
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of thickener (you can also use quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh if you have it
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes, then pour into bottom of the crust and dot with:
2-3 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces


Cover with the lattice or streusel mix.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Then slip a baking sheet under the pie, reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake until the juices bubble, about 25-35 minutes more.

Picture:  http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/07/pie-of-the-week-how-to-make-sweet-cherry-pie.html