There's something about locally grown cherries, tart, bright red, enrobed in a sweet vanilla and almond sauce, all wrapped in a flaky crust, that just makes my mouth water. And this version won a blue ribbon in 2008!

Adams Street Cherry Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus pitting the cherries and making the crust)
Baking Time: 50-60 minutes
Serves: 7
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Ingredients

Pastry for 9” double crust pie -- deep dish

Filling: 6 c. pitted sour cherries*

1 t vanilla extract

1/8 t. almond extract

2 T. good brandy

1/4 c. orange juice

1 1/2 c. sugar

5 T. tapioca

2 T. butter

Glaze: 1 egg, beaten, and stirred with 3 T. half-and-half

Directions

1. Line deep dish pie plate w/ bottom crust; refrigerate.

2. Pit cherries in a large bowl. Add orange juice, and brandy.

3. Mix sugar, tapioca, vanilla and almond. Stir into cherries and let stand for 10 minutes, mixing gently occasionally.

4. Roll out top crust and cut strips for lattice top (or do hearts or a regular top crust).

5. Pour cherry mix into bottom crust, dot w/ butter, and top w/ lattice crust, folding the edge up to form a tall lip. See notes below about "extra" filling.

6. Optional: brush lightly with a glaze (egg & ½ and ½) and sprinkle w/ sugar.

7. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes, then drop to 350° for another 45-60 minutes or til golden. Use a crust protector ring after the first 10 or 15 minutes to keep the edge from overcooking.

Baker’s Notes and Tips and Tricks

*I used frozen cherries, mostly defrosted. If using fresh cherries, you will probably need less tapioca (maybe 4 T.?).

Also, if using a regular 9" pie plate, most but not all of the mixture will fit into the pie shell. The extra can be baked separately in a little glass dish.

The pie is likely to bubble up and maybe boil over, so I usually put a silicon sheet on the shelf below the pie to catch any drops.

The cherries came from my friend's tree, and she lived on Adams St. Hence the name. Thank you, Jan!