Cherry Pie

The summer of pies continue. I am seriously considering switching careers... lol. Anyhoo, I decided to tackle cherry pie, a bit of a formidable foe thanks to having to pit the cherries. But with a partner, it was quick work- I used a tweezer to poke through the stem and find the pit and push it out, Ryan preferred a sharp knife. I've heard that paper clips work well- but didn't try it. We did try a chopstick, which was a major fail, so don't listen to that advice.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
5-6 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour & salt with a whisk. Add in butter and combine with a fork until crumbly. Drizzle water and shape into a ball. Refrigerate in Saran wrap for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (My oven runs HOT. Some folks do this @ 425)

Filling:
5 cups cherries, pitted and halved
3/4 cup sugar (Increase if using tarter cherries)
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tblsp cornstarch
squeeze lemon juice

Roll out dough, add filling to center, and top with dollops of butter. Then complete with lattice crust. Bake @ 400 for 20-30 minutes, checking crust for burning. Some folks brush butter or milk on top of the crust, this works too. Then turn down to 325 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. Basically, over an hour, let the pie cook, and turn down the oven when the crust burns at that degree. This is an art and not a science, and so I suggest checking the pie about every ten minutes! It's done when the crust is a deep brown color and the filling bubbles through!