Recipe: All-American Cherry Pie (double crust)

ALL-AMERICAN CHERRY PIE

4 cups fresh tart cherries
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 tbsp kirsch (optional)
Pastry for 1 (9-inch) double-crust pie shell, unbaked
2 tbsp butter

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sort, rinse, stem and pit cherries. Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and kirsch in large bowl; let stand for 1 minute.

Pour fruit into unbaked pie shell and dot with butter. Cover with top crust (slashed to allow steam to escape) or lattice pastry.

Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. Then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until golden brown, about 40 more minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Source: Chicago Tribune, July 1, 1993