Fresh Cherry Pie (revisiting cherry soup)

This is the repeat of the failed cherry pie/cherry soup from back in July. I was thinking of ways to make it less soupy and I needed another try at the lattice work.

So the key is to cook the filling on the stovetop until the juices are bubbling and it starts to thicken BEFORE you put everything into the pie shell and bake it. Otherwise it seems that it is not enough time for the cornstarch to "activate"and thicken..

Recipe

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

3 drops almond extract

4 cups pitted tart cherries

Add pitted cherries, sugar, salt and almond extract to a saucepan. Simmer on low/medium until there is a lot of juice in the pan from the berries. Add cornstarch and increase heat to med/high and bring to a quick boil...then stir constantly until the "whiteness" or the cornstarch disappears and the filling thickens.

Pour into an uncooked pie shell and top with another pie crust or lattice and bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

ENJOY!