Mom’s Famous Homemade Cherry Pie

Pie Crust

1. To prepare the crust, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the salt and stir to combine.
3. Mix the oil & milk together in a separate bowl.
4. Add the oil & milk to the flour mixture.
5. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together.
6. Use your hands to form the dough into two equal balls.
7. Place half of the dough in an oiled bowl and set aside.
8. Place the other half of dough on a piece of floured wax paper.
9. Place another piece of wax paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it's approximately 1/4 inch thick.
10. Press the dough into a 9 inch pie pan, using your fingers to press the dough into the sides of the pan.
11. Place the bottom of the dough into the pie plate.
12. Remove the other half of dough from the oiled bowl and place it between the two sheets of wax paper. Roll it to 1/4 inch thickness, using a rolling pin.
13. To prepare the lattice top, slice the dough into 1/2 inch wide strips.
14. Cover with a damp paper towel, then set aside and prepare the filling.

Pie Filling

1. To make the filling, drain the cherries from the cans using a fine mesh strainer, reserving 1 cup of cherry juice.
2. Combine the reserved cherry juice, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 15 minutes.
4. Once the mixture is thick, remove it from the heat and add the drained cherries to the saucepan. Stir to combine.

Cherry Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Pour the homemade cherry filling into the prepared pie crust.
3. Top with the lattice crust by carefully weaving the strips of dough over the filling.
4. Lay 4 of the longest strips of dough side-by-side in the middle of the pie, each about 1/2 inch apart. Weave 4 more long strips of dough in the opposite direction, up and under the other pieces of dough.
5. Continue with shorter pieces of dough as you work your way to the outside edges of the pie until the entire pie is covered.
6. Use a sharp knife to trim any excess dough from the edges of the pie crust.
7. Crimp the pie crust by pressing the top edge of the pie dough into the pie plate using your fingers.
8. Place small cubes of butter across the top of the pie and sprinkle 2 teaspoons granulated sugar evenly over the pie.
9. Place the pie on a rack in the lower half of a preheated 450°F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat on the oven to 350°F and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
10. After removing the pie from the oven, allow it to cool for at least 1 hour (preferably 2-3 hours) so that the pie comes out clean when it's sliced into.