Cherry Pie with an Attitude

This is the sassiest, best cherry pie you've ever eaten.

Cherry Pie with an Attitude

Pie dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons (trans-fat free) shortening
6 tablespoons ice water

1 1/2 lbs. fresh dark sweet cherries, stemmed, pitted, halved
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work the butter and shortening in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, divide the dough in half, and pat into 2 smooth, flattened disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cherries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stir well to combine.

Roll out one of your pie dough rounds, thinly, on a floured surface, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate; pour the cherries into the pie plate.
Roll out the second pie dough round, and fit it over the top of the cherries. Trim away the excess dough, and make the crust look all pretty. Snip some vents into the pie dough. Brush the yolk mixture evenly over dough.

Bake pie for 1 hr & 5-10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. If your crust or your crust edges starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Cool pie on a wire rack, to room temperature, before slicing.

Yield: 8-10 slices