Sour Cherry Pie - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Classic Pie Pastry For Double Crust Pie
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening (I like to use Crisco)
6 -7 tablespoons cold water
Sour Cherry Filling
1 1/3 cups sugar, white
1/3 cup flour, all purpose
4 cups sour cherries, pitted, thawed and drained (fresh, frozen or canned)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract, pure
pastry for double-crust pie
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon sugar, white (optional)

Preparation

Classic Pie Crust:
Add the flour, salt and shortening to a small bowl . Cut in the shortening until it resembles bread crumbs.
Slowly add the water, tossing slowly with a fork, until a dough ball forms.
Cover and refrigerate the pasty for about 30 minutes or until it is easy to handle.
Divide the pastry dough in half so that one ball is larger than the other. Roll out the larger ball of pastry dough for your bottom crust. Transfer the pastry dough into the pie pan, trim the pastry even with the edge of the pie pan. Add your filling.
Next roll out the rest of your pastry dough for the top of your pie and place it over the filling, trim, seal and flute the edges, cut three slits on top of pastry and bake according to recipe directions.
Cherry Pie Filling:
In a bowl combine sugar, flour and stir in prepared cherries and extract.
Line a 9 inch pie pan with bottom pastry crust and pour in filling.
Dot the pie filling with the small peices of butter.
Roll out the remaining pastry and place over the filled pie, remembering to trim, seal and flute the edges.
If desired, brush a little water or milk on the top of the assembled pie crust, then sprinkle with the white sugar if using.
Cut a few slits on the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape and cover the edges loosely with tin foil.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 - 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling nicely.
Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack.