Mistral originally posted this on Gail's. I follow her notes at the end, and use Trader Joe's Morello Cherries, and their dried Montmorency cherries. I skip the food coloring, and add a bit of cinnamon to the filling.
Double Cherry Pie
1/2 c. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cans (16 oz. each) tart cherries
1 c. dried cherries
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4-5 drops red food coloring, opt.
pastry for 2-crust pie
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a 3-qt. saucepan, combine 1/2 c. sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drain liquid from the canned cherries into the pan; set cherries aside. Stir cherry liquid into sugar until no lumps remain. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently; continue cooking 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and slightly translucent. Remove from heat, stir
in reserved cherries, dried cherries, almond extract and food coloring, if desired.
Spoon filling into pastry-line pie pan. Top with second crust, flute or crimp edges. Cut several slits in top to vent pie. (Can also
make a lattice crust, if desired.)
Sprinkle remaining sugar over top of pie. Place pie on top rack in oven and place a baking sheet or piece of foil on lower rack to catch any drips.
Bake 35-45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling bubbles. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15-20 minutes before cutting. Makes 10 servings.
From the Cherry Marketing Institute.
Mistral’s Notes: I doubled the recipe below and made two cherry pies) with 2 Jars (24-1/2 oz) of Morello Cherries (from Germany) and two cups
of dried, sweetened Montmorency cherries; both items were purchased at Trader Joes. Sugar changes: (This is not enough, especially if you are using cherries canned in water!--try 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar. I used 1-3/4 cup for two pies)
OH-MY-GOODNESS! What a GREAT pie!
The Bottled Morello cherries didn't have much flavor from the jar, but with the addition of more sugar and the Dried Montmorency Cherries, what a flavor! And it's funny, you still can taste the difference between the two cherries in the pie--and they balance each other VERY well! This is the closest to a fresh cherry pie that I will ever make as we never get fresh sour cherries in our area. I can't even find frozen sour cherries here.
Double Cherry Pie
1/2 c. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cans (16 oz. each) tart cherries
1 c. dried cherries
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4-5 drops red food coloring, opt.
pastry for 2-crust pie
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a 3-qt. saucepan, combine 1/2 c. sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drain liquid from the canned cherries into the pan; set cherries aside. Stir cherry liquid into sugar until no lumps remain. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently; continue cooking 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and slightly translucent. Remove from heat, stir
in reserved cherries, dried cherries, almond extract and food coloring, if desired.
Spoon filling into pastry-line pie pan. Top with second crust, flute or crimp edges. Cut several slits in top to vent pie. (Can also
make a lattice crust, if desired.)
Sprinkle remaining sugar over top of pie. Place pie on top rack in oven and place a baking sheet or piece of foil on lower rack to catch any drips.
Bake 35-45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling bubbles. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15-20 minutes before cutting. Makes 10 servings.
From the Cherry Marketing Institute.
Mistral’s Notes: I doubled the recipe below and made two cherry pies) with 2 Jars (24-1/2 oz) of Morello Cherries (from Germany) and two cups
of dried, sweetened Montmorency cherries; both items were purchased at Trader Joes. Sugar changes: (This is not enough, especially if you are using cherries canned in water!--try 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar. I used 1-3/4 cup for two pies)
OH-MY-GOODNESS! What a GREAT pie!
The Bottled Morello cherries didn't have much flavor from the jar, but with the addition of more sugar and the Dried Montmorency Cherries, what a flavor! And it's funny, you still can taste the difference between the two cherries in the pie--and they balance each other VERY well! This is the closest to a fresh cherry pie that I will ever make as we never get fresh sour cherries in our area. I can't even find frozen sour cherries here.