Late Summer Cherry Pie Food

LATE-SUMMER CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk milk and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl to blend; add shortening and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk mixture; briefly knead in bowl just until dough comes together. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten each piece into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare filling:
• Mix 2/3 cup sugar and next 6 ingredients in large bowl to combine. Add cherries and toss to blend. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out larger dough disk on lightly floured work surface to 13-inch round (crust will be thin). Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Roll out second disk on lightly floured work surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. Using fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut rectangle lengthwise into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips. Spoon cherry filling into crust. Place 5 dough strips across pie in 1 direction and 4 in opposite direction, forming lattice. Press strip ends and edge of crust together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Brush lattice and edges with egg glaze. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over lattice.
• Bake pie 20 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil collar to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake until filling bubbles and crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.
• Test-kitchen tip:
• A fluted pastry wheel will cut lattice strips with pretty scalloped edges, but a sharp knife works fine, too.

CHERRY HAND PIES

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough starts coming together.
• Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and lightly knead to bring together. Form into a disk, wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the cherries are juicy and the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, 5 more minutes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the juice into a small bowl; stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and continue to simmer, stirring, until very thick, 6 to 8 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice and let cool.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball into a 6 1/2-inch round, using as little flour as possible. Stack the rounds between pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand 5 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons cherry filling in the center of each round, then fold in half to enclose and crimp the edges to seal.
• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360 degrees F. Fry the pies in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHERRY CHEESE PIE II

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla, then pour whole mixture into graham cracker crust.
• Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, or until set. Top with desired amount of pie filling before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.