Best Cherry Pie

Directions

1. 1
   Combine sugar, flour & salt.
2. 2
   Stir in butter, then cherry juice, food coloring and almond extract.
3. 3
   Add cherries and let stand while making pastry. (This helps the flavors absorb more readily).
4. 4
   Pour filling into pastry shell.
5. 5
   Cover cherry filling with a lattice crust.
6. 6
   Bake at 300° for about 1 1/2 hours until the juice starts bubbling up quite thick between the layers of the lattice crust.
7. 7
   If necessary tent pie with foil to prevent browning.
8. 8
   The pie isn't done until the juices get really thick. Otherwise, after it cools when you cut into the pie it will be runny.
9. 9
   Avoid placing the filling in the pie before you have the top crust ready to go. Otherwise the juices will cause the bottom crust to get soggy while baking.