Impress guests with this red, “white” and blue pie. Refrigerated pie crusts taste like scratch without the hassle.
Patriotic Pie Filling
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) pitted tart red cherries
in water, undrained
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Dash salt
1 cup dried blueberries
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on package
Drain cherries, reserving ¾ cup juice. In 2-quart sauce-pan, combine reserved juice, tapioca, sugar, butter and salt.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Stir in drained cherries, blueberries and almond extract. Cool 15 minutes.
Heat oven to 375°F. Make pie crust as directed on package for two-crust pie using 9-inch pie pan. Spoon filling into crust-lined pan. Top with lattice crust, by cutting the second crust into ½-inch-wide strips. Arrange strips in lattice design over filling by laying half of the strips in one direction, rotating pan one-quarter turn and laying remaining strips at right angles directly over the first strips. Fold excess crust under and press together to form crust edge; flute.
Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.