Cherry pie

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh or frozen cherries
• 1 – 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 tbsp almond extract (optional)
• Pie dough
• 1.5 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Place the cherries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid. Once the cherries have released their juices, which may take a few minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch.
2. Pour this mixture over the hot cherries and stir well. Add almond extract, if desired, and stir. Return the mixture to the stove and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water. If too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
3. Preheat oven to 190°C.
4. Mix the pie dough according to your favorite recipe. Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece out to fit into a 20-22 cm pie pan. Spread the chilled cherry filling on top of the dough. Arrange pieces of butter on top. Moisten the edge of the bottom dough. Top the filling with the second layer of dough and pinch the edges together. Make a slit in the center of the pie to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove the cherry pie from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.