Sour Cherry Pie

I only have a few more packs of sour cherries in the freezer; they came from my dear friend Elma's sour cherry tree, so it takes a special occasion to warrant using them!  Elma and her husband moved recently from their little farmette, so when my sour cherry supply is depleted, that's it!  :(

Source:  Adapted from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes

9" unbaked pie crust

crumb topping or pastry for lattice strips

3 c. canned or frozen cherries, undrained

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. water

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. almond flavoring

1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cherries, sugar and salt in saucepan and heat to boiling.

Dissolve cornstarch in a portion of the 1/2 c. water, then stir into cherry mixture.  Cook just until thickened, stirring constantly.  Add the rest of the water if necessary.  Remove from heat.

Stir in almond flavoring and butter.  Pour into crust.  Add crumb topping or make a lattice of pastry strips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until browned.  

Note: Be sure to allow pie to cool completely before serving or transporting.  I omitted this step, and my pie ran all over the place when I was transporting it!!  :(