So I’ve never ‘actually’ tried a cherry pie, but I’ve always wanted to. I mean in movies it’s always a slice of cherry pie that they order.. and it always just looks sooooo goooood! So I played around with a few flavor boosts and ended up using cinnamon, almond extract and some lemon to bring out the cherry flavour. And it ended up being pretty tasty! I mean I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I really liked it. So this is ’my’ version of a cherry pie and I know for sure you will love it too!

Here’s how you bake it!

INGREDIENTS :

Pie Crust :

• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup butter, cold cut into cubes, keep in fridge until time to use
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 6-7 tbsp ice cold water

Cherry Filling :

• 4 cups (roughly 700g) of pitted fresh cherries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the egg wash :

• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp sugar

METHOD :

For the Pie Crust :

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Cut into half and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for minimum 40 min (or for best results overnight)
2. Roll one of the dough balls out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Place the pie plate into the fridge until the filling is ready.

For the Cherry Filling –

1. Set the oven to 220C (428F) In a medium sized saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Mixture will be a little thick but let us break down.
2. Then lower the temperature and let simmer for about 6-8 min, or until mixture is thick jelly like consistency. The. Take off heat and let cool. (I usually pour it into another bowl just to make the cooling go a bit faster)
3. Once cooled pour into the prepared pie crust (which should be already in the pie case and resting in the fridge)
4. Roll out the second dough as big as the pie dish. Then cut 8 equal strips. Place four strips over the pie and then lift two and place one strip across. Fold back the two strips and place another strip across. Look below for how to make the pattern. Fold over the edges and crimp with your fingers.
5. In a small bowl add the egg, and milk and whisk. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle the sugar over the top for a nice crunch.
6. Then bake at 220C (428F) for 10 min and the lower the temp to 190C (324F) for 45 min. Take out carefully and let set outside for 2 hours and then in the fridge for 2 hours.

Enjoy with some ice cream or just on its own!