Cherry Pie

Make the filling. Place the cherries in a strainer set over a bowl to capture the excess juices. Measure 1 cup of the cherry juice.* Save any remaining juice for another use. Transfer the cherries to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and ¼ cup of the water until smooth. Set aside.

Place the 1 cup cherry juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar, stir, and return the mixture to a boil. When the sugar is dissolved, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the juices thicken and become clear and glossy. Remove from the heat and pour over the cherries. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, almond extract, and salt. Allow to cool completely.

Assemble the pie. Arrange an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 425°F with the baking sheet inside it.

Follow the instructions in the pie crust recipe to roll out the bottom crust, leaving a ½-inch overhang on all sides of the pie plate. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge. Roll out the remaining pie dough to create the top crust.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the remaining 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.

Remove the bottom crust from the refrigerator and pour in the cooled filling. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the top crust into 1-inch strips. Evenly space 4 to 5 strips crosswise over the pie. Weave 4 to 5 more strips through the crosswise strips to create a lattice, pulling back the original strips as necessary to weave. Trim the edges of the lattice, then fold the edges of the bottom crust up and over it so that the edge of the dough is in line with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the dough with your fingers or a fork to seal.

Brush the lattice with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling has been bubbling for several minutes. If the edges of the crust start to brown too much before the filling is bubbling, tent them with foil.

Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving, about 4 hours.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.