Sweet Cherry Pie

Yes, peaches and pickles are a theme in my kitchen this summer. (Hmmmm....pickled peaches. Now THERE's a thought.) Anyway...cherries have been as well. In delicious preserves spiked with Amaretto. And then soaked in simple syrup and various liquors to use as cocktail garnish and dessert toppings. I'm still hoping to get to the tea bread recipe and ice cream recipes I've been eyeing as well.

In the meantime, here's a delicious cherry pie recipe (slightly adapted) courtesy America's test Kitchen. Yum.

Sweet Cherry Pie

Crust for double-crust pie (As I confessed yesterday, I use Pillsbury refrigerated crusts with no regrets.)
2 red plums, halved and pitted
6 cups (about 2 pounds) pitted sweet sherries or 6 cups frozen cherries, halved
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Amaretto (or bourbon), optional
2 tablespoons instant tapioca
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon sugar

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Process plums and 1 cup halved cherries in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Strain puree through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Stir remaining halved cherries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, Amaretto or bourbon (if using), tapioca, and cinnamon into puree; let stand for 15 minutes.

Transfer cherry mixture, including all juices, to dough-lined plate. Scatter butter pieces over fruit. Roll second disk of dough on generously floured work surface (up to ¼ cup) to 11-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least ½-inch overhang. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges with egg mixture. With sharp knife, make 8 evenly spaced 1-inch-long vents in top crust. Freeze pie 20 minutes.

Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble around the edges and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Shield crust with foil as needed to prevent overbrowning.

Transfer pie to wire rack; let cool to room temperature so juices have time to thicken, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.