gramma's CHERRY pie

I found this picture on google images.....I love it! Reminds me of my daughters, sitting together chompin down cherries at the kitchen counter.

I have to admit...cherries are not my favorite of all the Michigan fruits. I have grown to love them. And I hate to admit it, but as a kids I would not eat the pie recipe I am about to share with you. Now I love it. I actually have eaten half a pie since last night. I feel a bit queasy now as I admit that...

I couple years ago my mom and my seestor and I went up north for a weekend of family recipe swapping. My mom had some, I had salvaged some recipes when my parents divorced from the house I grew up in. Now my fathers house...he ain't usin' no recipes...God luvhim. And well, my seestor she just sort of came with her pen and paper. But this pie recipe is one that we came across. Gramma actually used flour instead of cornstarch....I think cornstarch works better so I made a little changey on the family recipe...just making it my own. No harm in that.

Here is what you will need to make yourself a perfect cherry pie!

Oh you will need a double pie crust too! Here's my recipe if you need one.

printable recipe

1 2lb bag frozen cherries

3 heaping tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

half and half/raw sugar for crust

Here in Michigan you can find the Friske Orchard Cherries in all the Meijer Grocery stores. I know what you are thinking....frisky cherries....get your mind oughta the gutta people!

Not sure about the rest of the nation...but if you purchase the tart type of cherries you should be just fine. Friske Orchard does ship if you are up for that sort of thing. I actually had a few pounds shipped to a special friend in a little town called Pawhuska...any guesses who the happy cherry recipient might have been?

Toss the frozen cherries in a 3qt saucepan, you are allowed to thaw them, but there really is no need to.

Add the cornstarch and sugar.

Stir so the sugar and cornstarch coats the cherries evenly before you turn on the heat.

Now turn the heat on medium and cook for 10-15 minutes. Until the juice from the cherries has become thick.

Remove from stove top, add butter, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir until butter is completely incorporated. Set aside. Or if you want you can just eat them straight out of the pan. Who needs pie. Cherry pie filling all warm and delicious. You could just spoon it over ice cream and call it good. Or you could get your prepared pie crust out of the fridge and start rolling! NOW...before the filling is gobbled up.

There it is. Pie crust. Rolled out. Just waiting to be laid upon some delicious filling. Use lots of extra flour for rolling. And please, please do not be afraid of the mess homemade pie crust makes. Get out your garbage pail and push all the extra stuff in there when you are done...no problem. Pie crust rolling is therapy for me. Everything is right in my universe when the crust rolls out like this one.

Pour the filling on in there...it may look like it's not enough...no worries...it's just right. Trust me.

Now lay the top crust over the filling. Now here is where I think I and some pie makers divide into two parties. Party 1 being the "Heap-O-yummy-crust" party, and Party 2 being the "done skimped on the crust cause I a chicken" party. Pie is about the crust just as much as it is about the filling. Leave that dough hanging over and just roll it ALL up. Don't go cutting it off and smooshing a fork around the edge. Then you miss out on the crust cookie at the end. So which party are you in? Be honest...we are all friends. I will try not to hold your pie crust opinions against you. It's a free country right.

Oh, Oh, Oh, now that is a beeeaUtiFUL thing! ROLL the crust inward NOT outward.

See there it is all wrapped up preddy.

One more shot, just so you get the full on Heap-O-yummy crust effect.

Now take that half and half, or you can use milk if you are out of the good stuff, with a pastry brush, brush the entire top crust with milk...don't drowned it....just a light dampening.

Now take a handful of raw sugar and give the pie a good sprinkle. This will give the crust and added sweet crunch. And it helps with the crust cookie too. What is a crust cookie? Hold on I will get around to that in a sec.

There he is your pretty lil cherry pie.

Ok thats better, it looks happy now. Smile for the camera...say cherrieeees.

Set the unbaked pie on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until crust is nice and golden like the pie below.

There it is a perfectly crunchy thick crust....if you don't come on over to Party 1 after seeing this picture, Party 2 people then we need to have ourselves a talk...someday...maybe tomorrow.

Sorry, this is a bit disturbing. This is a Cherry Pie that came into the ER for kenny to sew up it's forehead laceration. Seriously, now....this is a pie that was almost cut into too soon. You really need to let a cherry pie cool almost completely before cutting and serving otherwise you will end up with pie crust and cherry soup.

Kind of like this scenerio. Still delicious just a little runny.

Bestill my heart...that is MAGnee-fi-co!

This would be a piece of pie cut too soon...still yummy. Crying out for some vanilla ice cream.

This my friend is a crust cookie. When the juices from fruit travel up into the pie crust and swirl right on in there perfectily...making the crust like a second dessert. A fantastic little shortbread with cherry swirled inside of it and a crunch sugar crust. This my friends is spectacular!

This was my breakfast....fruit pie the next day...is even better in some ways.

There it is a full crust cookie. So tell me are you a crust person or a filling person when it comes to pie.

I promise not to hold it against you.

LuvYa! Heeps.