Super Simple Pie Filling

I went to the farmers market yesterday and picked up some cherries and berries for pie. Since my last recipe was for pie crust, I thought it would be great to share this too. Again, this more of a how-to rather than a recipe.

First, wash, pit, stem, wedge, dice, or whatever is needed to the fruit. Today I did two batches-one, just cherries and the other blackberries, blueberries, and currants.

Second, add sugar and lemon juice-about one cup sugar and one lemon (reserve the zest before juicing) for about 2 pints of fruit, but it's not an exact science. Then let it sit. This can last anywhere between 30 minutes and a few hours.Pour the fruit and juices into a large saucepan and add lemon zest and two tablespoons of corn starch. You can vary this by adding cinnamon, extracts, liquors, etc. Mix well and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the liquid is thickened and long enough so that you can't taste the cornstarch.Pour out the mixture and cool without stirring. Store until you're ready to use it.

I was cooking these for hand pies. To make them, roll out circles of pie crust (you can make them any size, but make the circles bigger than you think you need). Spoon out the filling. Seal with an egg wash (egg whites and the tiniest bit of salt to loosen them) and freeze. When you're ready to cook them, cut slits in the top to let the steam out, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 325˚ until they're golden brown.

TIP: If you're working on a few things at the same time, make sure to label them. For these I was leaving the cherries to sit for six hours and the mixed berries for only one, so after I saran wrapped them, I put stickies on top with what time I wanted to go to the next step. This works especially well with items like bread that have many steps with a lot of time in between.

ANOTHER TIP: Make sure to taste the fruit you're using. If it's sour or rotten tasting, you're pie's not going to be very good either. Also make sure to taste the filling at various steps so you can add more lemon, sugar, etc.