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After interviewing pie-baking champion Aliene Bieber for this week’s food cover story, (and, along with the rest of the newsroom, quite enjoying the pie in this picture), I typed up the recipe she shared with me to keep for myself (and inevitably not execute as well as she does someday when I try it). But, I figured, why keep it only for myself when sharing on the blog is so easy?

We also have recipes for Harold Agnew’s Basil Chive Bagels and Katherine Berkowitz’s Whole Wheat Bread. You can find those here, along with winning recipes from last year’s 4-H food contests.

Here is Aliene’s cherry pie recipe, with two approaches to choose from for the pastry.

Cherry Pie

3 cups tart red cherries

1/2 cup cherry juice

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon butter

Mix sugar, flour and salt thoroughly in a sauce pan. Add cherry juice, extract, cinnamon and coloring. Stir until well blended. Cook until thickened then add cherries. Let stand while making pastry.

Crust

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup shortening

About 1/3 cup of cold milk

Sift flour, salt and sugar into large bowl. Add shortening. Cut into the flour with pastry blender or hands until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle with milk. Toss mixture lightly until mixture forms a soft ball. Roll out half of dough. Fit into pie plate. Trim off edge. Roll out the other half of dough for top of pie. Put cherry filling into pastry lined pan and dot with butter. Place top pastry on pie. Trim and tuck edges.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes longer.

Aliene’s Pie Crust (for two-crust pie)

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup butter-flavored shortening

4 Tablespoons cold nonfat milk

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

Mix flour, salt, sugar and shortening until you have a crumbly mixture. Using fingers, mix lightly. Add milk and syrup. Mix just until dough forms a soft ball. Roll out half at a time. If baking for a one-crust pie, bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned. If making a two-crust pie, bake according to recipe.