madbaker | I Have a Warrant

This week's Resolution Recipe: "Mr. Washington's Cherry Pie."

1 9" double pie crust
3 14.5 oz cans sour cherries, packed in water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c quick-cooking tapioca
1 tsp almond extract (I used 1/2 tsp in deference to the wife)
pinch salt

Line a 9" pie pan with half of the rolled out pie dough. Drain the cherries, reserving 2/3 cup water from one of them. Place the cherries and reserved liquid in a large mixing bowl. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and tapioca; stir into the cherries until evenly combined. Stir in the almond extract and salt. Let the filling sit for 20 minutes before filling the pie shell.

Heat the oven to 425. Spoon the filling into the pastry. Roll out the top crust and seal the two together, cutting a hole into the top to vent steam. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 35-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Take out of the oven and cool on a rack before slicing, so the filling can set up.

What worked: This was a very good, classic-tasting cherry pie. We yummed it right up.

What didn't: It was stupidly hard to find canned pie cherries (frozen were completely unavailable). I finally found them at the hippy-dippy market, for more than I wanted to pay (but I did anyway). I took three of the four on the shelf.
The appearance was... um, rustic. It burbled over and through and made a mess on the baking sheet. The tapioca didn't set up as much as I'd hoped.

Will I make it again? When I want a cherry pie, this is the recipe I'll use.