Michigan Cherry Pie -- Mom's Lattice Tradition, Carried Forward

First hard frost. Garden done. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.

Apple pie Saturday. Mom's recipe. Lattice top. The best pie of the year.

I went to bed at ten. Slept seven hours. The body said thank you.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Mom’s apple pie on Saturday was the kind of thing that made the whole week make sense — the frost, the horses, the fence posts, the drive to Billings and back. Pie has a way of doing that. This Michigan Cherry Pie runs on the same principle: a real lattice top, tart fruit, butter you can taste, and enough patience in the making to feel like it meant something. If you’ve got someone who needs a slice left on the porch, this is the one to bake.

Michigan Cherry Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6–8 tablespoons ice water
• 4 cups fresh or frozen tart Michigan cherries, pitted
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (for topping)

Instructions

1. Make the crust. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently until the dough just comes together. Divide into two equal discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, almond extract, and cinnamon. Stir to coat evenly and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven. Set oven to 400°F. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lower rack to catch drips.
4. Roll the bottom crust. On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disc into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing gently into the edges. Trim any overhang to about 1/2 inch. Refrigerate while you roll the top.
5. Make the lattice top. Roll the second dough disc into a 12-inch circle and cut into 10 to 12 strips, about 3/4 inch wide. Lay half the strips across the filled pie, evenly spaced. Fold back every other strip and lay a perpendicular strip across the center. Continue weaving until the lattice is complete. Trim the strips to match the bottom overhang, then fold and crimp the edges to seal.
6. Fill and finish. Pour the cherry filling into the prepared bottom crust. Dot the filling with small pieces of butter before adding the lattice top. Brush the lattice and crimped edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 30–35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the lattice. If the edges brown too quickly, cover with foil or a pie shield.
8. Cool completely. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. The filling will set as it cools.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 280mg