Lattice-Top Sour Cherry Pie

Ingredients

• 1 recipe double-crust all-butter pie dough, chilled
• 6 cups pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen (about 2 1/4 pounds)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar

Before you cook

• Pit the cherries if using fresh, or thaw frozen cherries completely and keep all the juice.
• Divide the chilled dough into two disks, one slightly larger.
• Beat the egg with the milk for the wash.

Steps

1. Stir the cherries together with the sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, salt, almond extract, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
2. Let the filling stand for 30 minutes so the tapioca softens and the fruit gives up its juice.
3. Roll the larger disk of dough into a 12-inch circle and line a 9-inch pie plate with it.
4. Roll the second disk into an 11-inch circle and cut it into ten strips about one inch wide.
5. Slide both the lined plate and the strips into the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
6. Set an oven rack in the lowest position and heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Pour the cherries and all their juices into the shell and level the fruit.
8. Dot the surface with the bits of butter.
9. Lay five strips across the pie in one direction, spacing them evenly.
10. Fold back every other strip and lay a cross strip down, then unfold, repeating until the lattice is woven.
11. Trim the strips flush with the crust edge, fold the overhang under, and crimp firmly.
12. Brush the lattice with the egg wash and sprinkle on the coarse sugar.
13. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
14. Lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until the juices bubble thickly in the center of the lattice.
15. Cool the pie completely on a rack, at least four hours, before cutting.