Cherry Pie with Lattice Crust

It's just about the end of strawberry season here, so over the weekend, we went picking at our CSA farm (Great Country Farms in Bluemont, VA) for one last haul. While we were there, I picked up a quart of sweet cherries, the first of the season. That means one thing: cherry pie!

This is a two-crust lattice pie, which may sound intimidating, but it's pretty simple, actually. The crust is based on Alton Brown's recipe, but I make it with all butter (he uses some lard in his). The most time consuming thing about this pie? Pitting and chopping the cherries. But it's worth it in the end. And if the only cherry pie you've had was made with those cans of pie filling at the grocery store? You owe it to yourself to try this.

For the crust (makes two crusts):

• 1 C. cold unsalted butter (16 Tbsp. or 2 sticks), cut into cubes
• 2 C. AP flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C. cold water

For the filling:

• 4 C. pitted, chopped sweet cherries (about a quart of cherries)
• 1/3 C. sugar (or to taste, depending on the sweetness of the cherries)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch
• pinch of salt

For finishing:

• 1 tsp. milk
• 1 tsp. sugar

In a stand mixer or food processor, mix the butter, flour, and salt together, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (you could also do this by hand). With the mixer or food processor running, slowly add the cold water until the dough forms into a ball (you may not need all the water). Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pit the cherries, and mix them with the sugar, lemon juice, corn starch, and salt. Set the cherry mixture aside until you are ready to assemble the pie.

Remove one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap the disk and sprinkle both sides with a little flour. Roll the disk into a circle that is slightly bigger than your pie plate (flip the plate upside down over the dough to check for size). I roll the dough with the plastic between the dough and the rolling pin.

Put the dough into the pie plate and pour the filling into it.

Then take out the other disk of dough. Roll into a circle as above. Then cut the dough into thin strips for the lattice - I find a pizza cutter works best for this. Place half the strips onto the pie in one direction, then weave the remaining strips onto the pie in the perpendicular direction. If you have any strips remaining, use them to seal the edges of the crust with the lattice.

Brush the lattice with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake the pie for 45-60 minutes at 375, until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling. You may want to put a cookie sheet on the rack below the pie to catch any spillage.

Allow the pie to cool and set before slicing and serving. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Looking for a cherry pie variation? Try my Cherry-Rhubarb Pie.