Lunch: Sweet Washington Cherry Pie

Recipe by Jill This is a recipe shared with me from a friend in eastern Washington, where they have the BEST fresh sweet cherries in the U.S.

Ingredients

2 cups pitted fresh dark sweet cherries, such as Bing or Lambert
1/3 cup bottled cherry juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small chunks

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a bowl, mix the cherries, cherry juice, almond extract, brown sugar, white sugar, and flour until the sugar has dissolved; allow to stand while you prepare pastry dough, about 15 minutes.
Line a 9-inch pie dish with a pastry crust, and fill with the cherry filling; sprinkle small chunks of butter over the filling. Top with the remaining crust, and crimp the edges to seal; cut several steam vents into the top crust with a sharp paring knife.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cherry filling is bubbling and thickened and the pie crust is browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.