#576 - Fresh Cherry Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 ready-made or homemade 9" pie crusts
4 cups pitted fresh sour cherries
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup quick cook tapioca pudding mix
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 TBSP butter OR Parkay margarine
butter for dotting
1 egg white (lightly beaten)
2 tsp. white sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray inside of a 9" pie plate with Pam cooking spray. Place one crust into the pie plate and spray inside of crust with Pam also. In a bowl add pitted cherries, white sugar, tapioca mix, salt and vanilla--stir well and let it stand for 10 minutes. Pour cherry mixture into the pie crust and dot with 2 TBSP butter or Parkay margarine. Add top crust, use Pam or water to seal while crimping the edges of the pie doughs together. Use a sharp knife to poke holes through the top crust all the way to the bottom of the pie for air. Use the same knife to make a dime-sized hole right in the center of the pie. Beat the egg white and brush the egg white all over the top crust. Sprinkle a tsp. or two of white sugar over the top of the crust. Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes--reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. You can cover crust edges with foil and remove foil when there is 10 minutes left of baking--this keeps the edges from burning.

#520 - Cherry Pie

(crust by Harriet Weaver; cherry pie by Shirley McNevich)

Pie crust:
5 cups flour
2 cups Crisco (generous, heaping)
1/2 stick of margarine or butter
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Arm & Hammer baking soda
1 egg
1 TBSP cider vinegar
Filling: 1 - 21oz. Musselman's OR Lucky Leaf cherry pie filling
Crumbs: 1/2 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup butter

Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix flour, crisco, margarine, salt, and baking soda until it's crumbly. Set aside. In a measuring cup, add egg and vinegar and beat with a fork. Add water until the egg mixture and the water meet the 1 cup line on your measuring cup. Beat with a fork. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix everything with hands until you can form a ball. Roll out the dough.

Spray a 10" pie plate with Pam cooking spray. Roll out one crust and place in pie plate. Spray the dough (inside and edges) with Pam cooking spray. Pour cherry pie filling into the crust, then place second pie dough on top and flute the edges (wet edges of each crust lightly with water OR Pam before fluting edges). Poke holes all over top crust using a knife to vent and sprinkle a little white sugar over the top crust. OPTIONAL: instead of adding top pie crust, in a bowl add the white sugar, flour, and butter--mix with your hands to make crumbs, then sprinkle crumb mixture evenly on top of cherry pie filling. Place pie plate on a cookie sheet to catch any drips while baking, and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until crust or crumbs are browned lightly.