Cherry Pie

Line 9" pie pan with pastry; refrigerate until ready to use.

In large bowl sprinkle cherries with lemon juice, almond and vanilla extract. You can toss and let this sit while you get other ingredients ready to mix in with cherries.

In a seperate bowl, mix sugar (reserve 2 tbsp for top), flour, salt and spices and give it a quick mix. Add this mix to cherries and gently toss thoroughly with a spoon or clean hands. Let mixture sit for 20-30 minutes to let flavors blend.

Toss mixture again, then pour into unbaked pastry crust; dot with butter.

Put on top crust; seal and crimp edges; cut slits to let steam escape. You could also use a lattice type top. Lightly brush top with milk and sprinkle top with remaining 2 tbsp sugar.

Preheat the oven to 425° F and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Place the pie on a larger baking sheet lined with parchment paper, to catch any spills.
Bake the pie for about 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Continue to bake the pie for about 25 - 35 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the cherry juices are starting to bubble. If the edges of the pie are browning too much during baking, cover with a foil ring.

When pie has finished baking, take the pie out of the oven and place the baked pie on a wire rack to cool for several hours. Serve at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Store any leftovers for 2 - 3 days at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Note: With canned cherries, add 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring along with lemon juice.

FOR BERRY PIE: Follow recipe above except use blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or other berries instead of cherries.

Vary amount of sugar according to your taste and sweetness of fruit.