Homemade cherry pie

Instructions

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1. 1 First, make the pie crust. Tip the flour, ⅓ cup ground almonds, the butter, sugar, and ¼ tsp salt into a food processor. Blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Beat the egg yolks with 2 tbsp cold water, then drizzle this into the food processor and blend again until the dough starts to clump together. Tip onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring everything together into a smooth dough. Divide into two pieces and shape each piece into a puck shape. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins. Will keep, wrapped in the fridge, for up to two days.
2. 2 Toss the pitted cherries with the jam, sugar and cornstarch until there are no dry patches.
3. 3 If the pastry has been chilled for longer than 30 mins, bring it out of the fridge 20 mins before rolling, or it will be too firm. Heat the oven to 400F/gas 6. Dust a work surface with a little flour, then unwrap one piece of the pie dough. Carefully roll it out until it’s large enough to line the base and sides of a 9-10in pie dish or ovenproof skillet pan. The dough will be very delicate – if any cracks appear when rolling, squash them back together. Lift the dough over the rolling pin and into the dish – don’t worry if it breaks, just patch it up by pushing it into the edge and up the side, closing any holes. There should be a little overhang around the edge. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tbsp ground almonds over the base, then spoon in the cherry filling so it's in an even layer.
4. 4 Roll out the remaining dough so it’s large enough to cover the pie. Brush a little of the beaten egg white around the edge. Top the pie with the dough lid (poke a hole in the center for steam to escape), or make a lattice topping. To do this, cut the rolled-out dough into strips, however wide you like. Arrange half the strips in one direction over the pie, leaving a 1in gap between each. Weave the remaining strips under and over these in the opposite direction, creating a lattice pattern. Press the dough together around the edge, then trim the excess using a sharp knife.
5. 5 Crimp the edge for a neat finish or use any dough scraps to make shapes and place them around edge – we used a piping nozzle to cut out small circles. Stick them on with a little more egg wash, then brush the whole pie with a thin layer of egg wash. Sprinkle over a little sugar. Bake for 55 mins-1 hr, checking the pie after 40 mins. The edge may brown more quickly than the center – if this happens, wrap some foil around the edge to protect it.
6. 6 Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 1 hr. If you cut it too soon, the filling will be very runny. Best served just warm with ice cream.