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NATIONAL PIE CHAMPIONSHIP:
Best of Show in the Professional division

Tom’s Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie

Linda Hundt, owner of the Sweetie-licious Pie Pantry in DeWitt, Michigan
 
Crust:

• 1 ½ cups of flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ cup Crisco shortening
 

Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed swiftly until crust appears “pea like.”   Carefully sprinkle ice cold water in crust mix until it just starts to be fully moistened and gathers together.  Pat into disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least one half hour.  Roll out on floured surface and make and crimp piecrust.  Freeze until ready to use.
 

Filling:

• 4 ½ cups Montmorency tart cherries –frozen
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ tsp real almond extract
• 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ½  tsp orange zest
• ½ cup dried Michigan cherries
• 1 ½ cups of frozen blueberries

Combine frozen cherries, dried cherries, sugar, cornstarch.  Stir constantly on med-hi heat until boiling.  Boil for one minute or until thickened. Add almond extract, lemon juice and zest.  Pour blueberries in bottom of pie shell and pour cherry mixture over them.

Crumb Topping

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 stick butter softened

Mix together all crumb topping ingredients by hand or a pastry blender until crumbly.
 
Cover filling with crumb topping.  Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour or until filling is bubbling over crust.