Deep Dish Cherry Pie

This pie really loves a scoop of vanilla ice cream when it's hot out of the oven.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• FILLING

•  size cans cherry pie filling (lite or regular 12-14oz size cans)
•  size cans dark  sweet cherries in heavy syrup (a 21oz of LITE cherry pie filling)
•  size cans tart cherries, usually found packed in juice
• 2  tablespoons triple sec or 2  tablespoons  any  orange liqueur
• 1  tablespoon  almond extract or 1  tablespoon amaretto liqueur
• 2  tablespoons cornstarch

• CRUST

• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup butter, chilled & cut into tablespoons
• 1⁄2 cup  finely ground  nuts, prefer pecans
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2-1  tablespoon orange zest
• 1  egg, separated
• 1  tablespoon  honey vinegar

Directions

1. 1. NOTE: BAKES at 425*, & 350* Use a deep dish pie plate for this recipe (mine is 10"x 2.5") If you do not have a large pie plate, I would opt for a 'cobbler' treatment of these ingredients in a 9x9x2 glass pan. CRUST: Combine flour & (chilled) butter until crumbly. Stir in: ground nuts (prefer pecans) & orange zest (from one large fruit or two cuties). Add 1 Tbl vinegar; use apple cider if its on hand) to egg yolk, stir both into crumbs. Add ice water 1 Tbl/ time until dough is firm.
2. 2. Divide dough into 1/3, 2/3 portions. Roll/press larger portion of dough to cover bottom & sides of pan. Pre-bake for 10 min at 425* Set aside. Roll top portion into desired shape: full crust or lattice (set away from heat).
3. 3. FILLING: Drain sweet cherries (in syrup), reserve juice. Drain tart cherries, reserve juice. Add all cherries to bowl along with whole can of pie filling. Stir triple sec & almond into this bowl. Set aside.
4. 4. Reduce sweet cherry syrup to half over med heat. Will bubble, so make sure pan/ bowl is larger than 4 cups to allow for this w/o spill over. Stir 2 Tbl cornstarch into 2 Tbl of tart cherry juice (from can) and add to reduced syrup. Stir constantly over heat until nicely thickened.
5. 5. Fold cherries into this and blend gently. This mixture should include all of the filling ingredients and should be a rich red color and cling well to spoon.
6. 6. FINISH: Add filling to bottom crust. Lay top crust over filling. Brush w/ egg white, esp around edges to seal to bottom crust. If using solid/whole top crust, remember to cut several vents. If lattice, no worries. Egg white on top can be combined w/ or sprinkled w/ a little sugar (@ 1 Tbl) for nice finish. This step just adds a nice golden color.
7. 7. Bake at 425* for first 10 minute Reduce to 350* for remaining 25-30 minute Remove when top crust is golden & filling is bubbly.