Cherry Pie Ala Mode--Yum!

I just pulled out a cherry pie for tonight’s dessert. Yum! It’s been a long-time favorite for our family. In fact, the recipe I use (which is posted below) is the same one I’ve been making my whole adult life. It was my mom’s recipe.

This recipe actually has a sentimental association for me. This is one of one of the first things I ever baked for my husband, Tom, when we were first dating. I had just moved into my first apartment and was having friends over for dessert on a Friday evening. Tom was one of the guests. I remember that evening well. I asked him if he’d like a piece of cherry pie. He kind of grimaced and told me that he didn’t like cherry pie. Then he said that he’d at least try a piece to make me happy. So I gave him a piece. He gulped it down. I looked at him and he told me that he decided maybe he liked cherry pie after all. I asked him if he wanted a second piece and he said “Yes.” He wolfed down that piece too. I asked him if he wanted third, fourth, fifth and sixth pieces of pie, until finally he ate what added up to a whole cherry pie, all pie himself. I learned that evening, that Tom was actually quite a fan of cherry pie.

Over the years, I’ve served up this same recipe to a lot of other guests too. You may enjoy making the same recipe at one of your own get-togethers.

Mom’s Cherry Pie

2 16-oz. cans pitted tart red cherries (more or less to taste)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
6 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 T. Butter
Pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie

Prepare and roll out pastry. Line half the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll the other half of the dough into a large circle, which will be used for the top crust. Refrigerate until ready to fill crust.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drain the cherries and reserve 1 cup juice. Set cherries aside. In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup of the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cherry juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar, almond extract, butter, and cherries. Gently stir together. Spoon filling into pastry lined pie plate. Cut the large circle of dough into ½ inch wide strips. Weave strips to make lattice crust. Bake in preheated oven for about an hour, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. If necessary, cover crust with a pie shield or aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes to prevent the crust from over-browning. Cool 1-2 hours before serving. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Happy pie making!

~Becky