The Expert Hostess 

Crust:

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Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes.  Place back in the refridgerator until you have mixed the dry ingredients.  Mix flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl.  Toss butter in the flour mixture with your fingers.  Smash each cube with your fingers.  Stir in water until the dough comes together in a shaggy ball.  

Flour your surface and roll the dough into a rectangle, about 10 X 15 inches.  Fold the 10 inch sides into the center and then fold them together.  Divide in half with a knife.  

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Roll one half of the dough into a 14 inch circle on a floured surface.  Place in a 9 inch pie shell.  Cut the edge, so that it is only about 1 inch of overhang.  Fold the edge of outer crust under itself on the rim of the pan to create a thick crust. Refrigerate pie crust for 2 hours.  

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Roll other half of the dough into a large 10 inch circle.  Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.    

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Filling:

Place cherries in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cover and wait for cherries to release juices, about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat.   Add sugar and cornstarch to cherries and mix well.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon, lemon zest, almond extract and stir.  Place back on the stove and cook until mixture is thick, about the thickness of pudding. Remove from heat and cool.

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Pour cooled filling into chilled crust.  Using a cookie cutter, slice circular pie dough into 3/4 inch slices.  Place 5 of the pie dough slices across one direction of the pie.  Weave the other pie dough slices in the opposite direction to create a lattice.  (See video).  Pinch pie crust and lattice together in a decorative pattern.  

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Topping:  

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Whisk together egg and cream.  Brush on top of pie lattice and crust with a pastry brush.  Sprinkle coarse sugar on top.  

Bake pie at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes.  

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