THE LEAD-IN: So, since I had never made a cherry pie before, I bought enough cherries to make two of them… just in case the first one didn’t turn out quite as expected. And, as things turn out, The first pie was a failure, not a complete failure, but a failure none-the-less, and one that I would learn from.
THE MISTAKE: So, cherries contain lots of water, and you need something inside pie in the filling to soak it all up. I tried to use cornstarch (my reasoning was that it had 3x the thickening power of flour.) So, I thought it would work… wow, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The pie didn’t set at all, and when I cut into it all of the filling ran out. I threw the pie in the trash.
THE LESSON LEARNED: When you make an apple pie, you use flour because there isn’t as much liquid in apples as say cherries or blueberries and since apples contain high levels of pectin (a natural thickener found in fruits), they have no problem “setting” with just flour and sugar.
Blueberries on the other hand have lower levels of pectin but still not as much liquid as cherries, so flour and sugar work to “set” this pie as well, although you do need to use more flour here than with the apple pie.
Finally with cherries, the pectin levels are virtually non-existent (I found out the hard way), so you have to add another fruit to it that is high in pectin or an artificial thickener. So, most bakers choose quick-cooking tapioca [high in pectin], because it doesn’t have much of a flavor and when combined with sugar, it does the trick.
On with the pie!
STEP 1: I take the cherries, give them a good rinse, then pit them (this is kind of tedious and time-consuming, but you have to get the pits out. The I mix the cherries with sugar, tapioca, and a little almond extract. You have to let this mix set for a while, stirring occasionally to draw out some of the natural juices and to achieve the beginnings of a filling.
STEP 2: After preparing dough for a double-crust pie, and allowing it to “sit” for 30 minutes in the fridge, I’m ready to roll out my dough. I roll out the bottom first, just like a normal pie and slide it into the pie dish. Then, I roll out the top and using a ruler I cut 1-inch side slices to use to make my lattice top. (With a cherry pie, I think the lattice top is a must)
Step 3: I preheat my oven. I check on the “filling” mix. Its starting to look like a loose jelly, perfect! I pour into my pie into my prepped pie dish, and begin to work on the lattice. I cut my top dough into 10 slices, so I could do a 5×5 lattice top. I’ll explain how it works in step 4.
Step 4: For the lattice, here’s how it works. Simple. Lay down 5 horizontal strips first before you do anything else and get them centered and spaced. Then pull back the even strips #2 and #4 just pass the center of the pie. Lay down one vertical strip down the center and put the horizontal strips back up to where they were. Then pull down odd strips #1, #3, #5, and lay down another vertical strip across, then return those horizontal strips to position. for the last strip at the top, pull back #2 and #4 again, place that last vertical strip, and viola the top is done. Do the same for the bottom.
Step 5: Cover the edges of the pie in foil and back for 30 minutes, remove the foil and back for another 25-35 minutes or until the crust looks done enough for your liking.
Although the pie to then cool on a rack and give it time to completely “set.” Your patience will be rewarded. Mine was! Good eats.
All pictures and concepts are originals and copyrights belong to Clintron. 
