4th Generation Homemade Cherry Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold shortening until pea-sized (you may use the paddle of a stand mixer for this step, or pulse in a food processor, then transfer to a bowl). Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half the dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate, loosely cover with plastic, and refrigerate.
• Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan; add cherries and toss to coat. Let stand for about 10 minutes to draw out the cherry juices.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
• Bring cherry filling to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute or until the juices thicken and become translucent (filling will thicken further as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Mix thoroughly and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Roll out second crust and cut into lattice strips or decorative shapes. When filling is cool, pour into bottom pie shell. Cover filling with top crust or cutouts and crimp edges.
• Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place pie on hot baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes. Let pie cool and set several hours before slicing.

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough starts coming together.
• Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and lightly knead to bring together. Form into a disk, wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the cherries are juicy and the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, 5 more minutes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the juice into a small bowl; stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and continue to simmer, stirring, until very thick, 6 to 8 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice and let cool.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball into a 6 1/2-inch round, using as little flour as possible. Stack the rounds between pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand 5 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons cherry filling in the center of each round, then fold in half to enclose and crimp the edges to seal.
• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360 degrees F. Fry the pies in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Pit and halve cherries, set aside.
• In a separate bowl stir together flour and salt, stir in the sugar, add the cherries and almond extract. Then mix in the cold, cubed butter. Place mixture in the fridge to keep the butter from melting.
• To make the crust stir together flour and salt.
• Add the 3/4 cup of butter flavor Crisco and cut in shortening with a fork, 2 knives or pastry cutter until shortening is the size of small peas.
• Add water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix with fork until the dough starts to form a ball.
• Work dough into one large ball then separate into two. (If doing a lattice top, or using a deep dish pie pan, I normally make the ball for the bottom pie crust a little larger, gives you more to work with when rolling out the dough).
• You can either roll out the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper, or a floured surface. I prefer rolling it out on a floured surface, sprinkling a little flour on top of the crust and my rolling pin, rolling it out until about 1/8 inch thickness. Then rolling the crust onto my rolling pin and placing it on the pie plate. Make the crust a little larger then your pie pan.
• Prick bottom crust with a fork.
• Add the cherry filling into the crust.
• If making a solid top, again roll out another pie crust and add to the top, crimp edges with a fork that's been dipped in flour, and cut slits into the pie.
• I like to add a small amount of melted butter brushed over the top and a sprinkling of white sugar to give the crust a little sweetness, but this is of course optional.
• Place pie on a cookie sheet in center of oven and bake at 425 for 40 minutes, or if you're in high altitudes, bake at 400, until golden brown.
• Note: if the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, wrap edges in aluminum foil.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• To Make Pie Crusts:.
• Combine flour and salt in medium sized bowl.
• Cut in shortening with pastry cutter until mixture resembles little round pieces of dough.
• Add your tablespoons of water one at a time, stirring together with a fork.
• Form dough into 2 balls.
• Between two sheets of wax paper, roll out one ball of dough to the width and length of an average pie dish. It should be about 1/8 of an inch thick when completely rolled out. Carefully remove top wax sheet, and flip bottom wax sheet with pie crust onto your pie dish,(with the pie crust facing inside of your pie dish).
• Carefully remove wax sheet, and press pie crust into your pie dish.
• Roll out your second ball of dough for the top pie crust.
• Pour in your filling when done into the pie crust.
• Take your second pie crust for the top, peel off the top wax paper and place (pie crust down) on your pie, carefully peeling back the bottom piece of the wax paper.
• Pinch edges together, use a fork to create a decorative edge.
• Poke holes with a fork into the top of the crust.
• Bake at 425 degrees until crust is golden brown.
• To Make Filling:
• Drain cherries, reserve 1 cup of cherry liquid. Set cherries aside to stir in later.
• Combine sugar, flour and salt in medium sized saucepan.
• Stir in reserved cherry liquid.
• Bring to a boil while stirring continously with a whisk.
• When sauce is thick, reduce heat to a simmer.
• Simmer for 5 min, still stirring.
• Stir in butter and almond extract, and the cherries that you drained the liquid from. Do this with a spoon, so the cherries don't tear.
• Remove from heat.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the cherries, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in food coloring if desired. Yield: 4 cups. , For a lattice-crust pie: Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; add filling. Make a lattice crust; trim, seal and flute edges. Cover edges loosely with foil. , Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.