Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

This is not so much a recipe as a few hints.  We had a surplus of cherries this year so I thought I would try cherry pie.  Cherry pie filling is usually a little too mushy for my taste.  However, I have found that when you make your own food from scratch it usually is at least 230 times better than a store bought product.  Cherry pie filling did not disappoint me.  I combined a few standard recipes from various sources and came up with an amazing filling.  I think the key ingredient is almond flavoring--it gives the filling a slight mystery flavor that is wonderful.

My favorite pie crust recipe held up just fine to weaving a lattice.  I have read that the best way to weave a lattice is to freeze the strips of pie crust first, however, I didn't have the time and think they turned out just great!

So as much as I can remember:


Cherry Pie Filling
6 cups cherries (preferably sweet), pitted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tb. lemon juice
1/4 cup corn starch, clear jel, ultra gel
1 cup water

Combine in pan and heat until the corn starch dissolves and the filling thickens.  If you use clear jel or ultra gel, you can can the filling.

Notes: I found that I didn't need this much water--I had to add more ultra gel to get the filling to thicken.  The water amount probably varies depending on the water content of your cherries.