Rustic Cherry Pie

I have this great cookbook called, simply, Baking, which I bought when I was still in the I-don’t-cook-but-I-love-to-bake camp. This past week, I saw the Sour Cherry Slab Pie over at Smitten Kitchen (a fantastic cooking blog you should check out) and thought….Ooooo, cherries! So for this weekend’s dessert, I put together a rustic-crust cherry pie, adapted from the aforementioned cookbook. It was so delicious, and was surprisingly pretty for such an easy pie.

Rolled-Crust Cherry Pie
Crust:
1/3 C. butter
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1-3 T. water
1 egg white
sugar for sprinkling

Filling:
1 1/2 lb. cherries, pitted
1/3 C. brown sugar
1/2 t. almond extract

For the filling: Rinse and pit 1 1/2 lbs. of fresh cherries. (Note: I left mine whole, but recommend cutting them in half. They were big bites!). Add sugar and almond extract, stir to combine.

For the crust: cut the butter into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add flour. Using your fingers (or a pastry blender, if you have one), combine until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then add water 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a soft dough. (You may not need all the water). Place covered in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Roll out until 14-15″ in diameter. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Pile filling inside.

Then fold over the edges of the crust to form a bowl.

Try to seal any holes in the outer edge to prevent juices from running out of the pie. Brush crust with egg yolk and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake in a 400 degree over for 30-35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Enjoy.