Fresh Cherry Pie

Fresh cherry pie is perhaps one of the most beloved and surprisingly easy pies to make. In fact, all you need to do in order to enjoy a great tasting slice in about 1-1/2 hours, is follow this easy fresh cherry pie recipe. Be aware though that you will want to follow the directions carefully. The reason for this is that pies, particularly fruit pies, can be a little tricky if you aren't careful.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh tart cherries, pitted
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup cherry juice
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1-1/2 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Enough of your favorite pastry dough for 9 inch crust (top and bottom)

Recipe:

1. Begin filling. In a medium sized saucepan, pour the sugar and cornstarch, and mix them together evenly. Place the saucepan onto the stove, and set the heat at medium high. Slowly pour the cherry juice into the mixture, and heat it up (while stirring constantly) until it reaches a gentle boil. Continue to cook the juice mixture for another two minutes, stirring the entire time, until it thickens. Remove the juice mixture from the stove, and add the cherries, cinnamon, almond extract, and nutmeg, and stir it all together. Set the mixture aside to cool (you can place the cherry filling into the refrigerator to help with cooling)
2. Preheat oven. Set the temperature on your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow the oven to preheat.
3. Lay out dough. If you haven't already made or bought your dough, this is the time to do so. Once you have the dough on hand, begin laying it out in the pie tin. All you need to do at this time is lay out the bottom half of the dough so that it will fit into a 9-inch pie tin.
4. Pour filling. Once the pie filling has cooled to the touch, pour the filling into the bottom crust. It should level out on its own, but if not then don't worry too much since cherry pies often have a hump in the middle. When you finish pouring the filling dot or brush the edge of the bottom crust with some butter. This will help the crusts to adhere to each other.
5. Lay the top crust. Carefully lay the top crust over the pie, and begin fluting or crimping the crusts together.
6. Prepare the top crust. When the pie crusts are finally attached, you need to finish preparing the top crust. Brush the top crust with some melted butter, and then sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon until you are satisfied. Be sure that you also cut a slit or cross into the middle of the top crust to allow steam to escape while baking.
7. Bake. Place the now ready pie into the preheated oven, and allow it to bake for around 50 minutes. Depending on the oven, your pie may take a little longer or less than this, but when the crust reaches a nice golden brown color you can remove it from the oven.

Once you have removed the pie from the oven, you really should allow it to cool for about ten or fifteen minutes to finish "setting up." Once that time has passed, you really should serve it. The reason for this is that cherry pie, like most fruit pies, are best served while they are still warm. One great serving possibility is to serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside.