American Cherry Pie

        Who doesn't like a deliciously red cherry pie that reminds you of summer, and everything summer represents. The warm sun, pool time, the abundance of fruits and vegetables. Such a feast.

        Well, I miss all of this, and because I still have to wait a good few months until summer will come, and bring all these things that I miss, I've decided to make a nice American Cherry Pie, so I can at least feel a bit of the summer taste.

         So, if you are ready, let's make the best Cherry Pie ever.


         You will need the followings:

         - 250 grams of all purpose flour - sifted
         - 100 grams of butter
         - 80 grams of lard (or margarine)
         - 100 ml water
         - 4 tablespoons of sugar
         - 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
         - 1 bag of frozen cherries (about 250 - 300 grams)
         - 1-2 tablespoons of semolina
         - 1 egg
         - sugar to sweeten the cherries


        Now that we know everything we need, the best way to do this, is to have all the ingredients prepared. Meaning, use small bowls in which you put the exact amount that you need from each ingredient. This way, you will have everything on hand, and you do not have to stop to sift the flour for example.

       Turn on your oven to preheat while you prepare the pie.

       Mix together the butter, lard (or margarine), water, sugar, cornstarch and the sifted flour. I keep repeating about the sifted flour just to make sure you don't forget that you have to do this.

       You can use the mixer adding to it the dough blades, or you can use your hand to combine everything together. The dough you get has to sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

       After the time passes, remove the dough out of the refrigerator, and divide it in 2 pieces, one bigger than the other. Start with the smaller ball of dough, and spread a sheet of 0.5 cm thickness, from which you will cut strips of 1 cm width.

       Spread a sheet from the bigger ball of dough, 0.5 cm thickness, and put it in a tray (it can be a tray for tart, or a removable cake pan, or anything you have or wish to use). Sprinkle the semolina over the entire surface, (the semolina will absorb the juice from the cherries, and this way there will be no risk for the dough to remain raw). Mix the cherries with sugar (I did not specify a certain quantity, because in this case it's all about the taste, some people like it sweeter, some like it less sweet) and put them on the fire until the juice thickens slightly. After it thickens, put them in the tray over the dough, and cover it up with the dough strips.

      The strips can be arranged as follows: put half of them horizontally, and the other half vertical on top of the ones you put before, or you can make a knitting pattern.

      Beat the egg and brush the strips with it, being careful not to get any egg on the filling, and then sprinkle some vanilla sugar over.

      Put the tray in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. You know that the pie is ready, when the dough turns golden and crunchy.


      Tips:

       - you can replace the frozen cherries with frozen sour cherries (in which case you will use more sugar), or any other fruit you want

       - or you can replace it with cherry jam (in which case you don't need to add sugar, as it already has enough, and you don't have to cook it on the stove neither, because it is already cooked, you just add it to the pie)

       - don't forget about the semolina



       Hope you liked today's recipe, and I hope it makes you crave it enough to try it. You won't regret it. I know that it looks like hard work, but it really isn't. You don't need to do the same pattern as I did, I had the time for it. Just do something easier which will take you less time.
       Kisses :*

                                                                                         Bon Appétit!