For Washington's Birthday, Celebrate with the Best Cherry Pie

Recipe from the U. S. Department of Agriculture

The USDA's Food and Nutrition Service says this recipe will yield the "Best Cherry Pie."

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cans red tart cherries. (Drain and reserve juice.)
• 1/4 tsp red food coloring (Optional)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (Optional)
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
• Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a saucepan, combine sugar and flour
3. Blend in 1 cup of the reserved cherry juice. Bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened.
4. Remove from heat, and add food coloring (optional), almond extract (optional) and margarine. Cover and refrigerate.
5. Roll out half of pastry and live a 9-inch pie pan.
6. Roll out other half of pastry into an 11-inch circle. Cut into eight 1/2-inch strips.
7. Pour cooled cherry filling into pastry-lined pie pan. Lay pastry strips horizontally and then vertically across the top of the pie. Crimp edges with forefinger of one hand pressed into thumb of other hand, to seal edges.
8. Bake 30-35 minutes until crust is brown and filling is bubbling.

Yield: 8 servings