Once A Year Cherry Pie

* Note: See the “Sweet Dough For Pies And Tarts” recipe which is included
in this collection.

To make the filling, pit the cherries over a bowl. Slash the side of each
one with a stainless steel paring knife and squeeze gently to extract the
pits. Put the cherries in the bowl as they are pitted. When all the
cherries have been pitted drain the juices from the bowl into a
non-reactive saucepan and add 1 cup of the cherries and the sugar. Bring to
a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is melted
and the mixture is very liquid — about 5 minutes. Combine the cornstarch
and water in a small bowl and whisk the cherry and sugar mixture into it.
Return to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat, until it
comes to a boil thickens and becomes clear. If it does not become clear,
continue to cook over low heat an additional few minutes until it does.
Pour into a large bowl and stir in the remaining filling ingredients,
except the cherries then add the remaining cherries. Set racks at the upper
and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Roll out the
bottom crust and arrange in pan. Pour the cooled filling into the bottom
crust. Prepare a diagonal lattice top crust. Flute the edge of the pie and
carefully brush it with egg wash. If you wish, sprinkle the top the pie
with sugar. Place the pie in the oven and lower the temperature to 375
degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the crust is baked through and a
deep golden brown and the filling is gently bubbling. If the top crust has
not colored sufficiently after 30 minutes, move the pie to the upper rack
of the oven for the last 10 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack. Serve wedges
of pie alone or with ice cream. Keep the pie at room temperature on the day
it is baked. For longer storage, refrigerate the pie well wrapped in
plastic. To reheat remove the plastic and bake the pie at 350 degrees for
about 15 minutes before serving. This recipe yields ?? servings.