In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the still-frozen tart cherries, sugar and salt.

Stir very frequently until the cherries start to release their juice, which will take about 9 minutes, but this will vary on your pan size, type, etc.

Mix together the cornstarch with the water in a small bowl.

Stir in the butter and the cornstarch slurry.

Continue stirring very frequently until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. This will take about 5-8 minutes. You’ll hear bubbling under the surface. You might start to get some bubbles around the edges. If it starts simmering before it thickens, turn the heat down to low or even off. You don’t really want to let it simmer. If you overcook cornstarch, it’ll cause stuff to break down. The cherry mixture shouldn’t be as thick as canned cherry pie filling right now.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract.

Place on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1-2 hours. Then refrigerate until cold, about 2-3 hours. You can also chill it overnight or up to 3 days.

While the filling is cooling, prepare the crust. When the dough is ready, separate it into two discs that are equal in weight (mine were 345 grams each, but this will depend on your flour mix and how much water you use) and refrigerate, but don’t stack them on top of each other. This allows them to chill more evenly and quickly. Chill the dough for a minimum of 45 minutes and up to 3 days.

Get out a 9” (23 cm) pie pan. Take out one disc of dough. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and place the unwrapped dough on it. Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or another piece of parchment paper and roll it out to be approximately 1/2” (1 1/4 cm) wider than the top circumference of your pie plate.

Remove the plastic wrap or parchment covering the pie crust, place the ungreased pie pan on top of the dough, and flip over the dough and pan. Press the dough down around the edges at the bottom of the pan, then remove the parchment paper. Don’t trim the dough around the edges.

Place the pan on a baking sheet or something so that you don’t make a mess in your fridge. Chill the crust, uncovered, for 15-30 minutes before filling. You don’t want it to get too chilled, or else it’s too hard to tuck the pie crust strips into the dough on the rim of the pie pan.

While it’s chilling, prepare the lattice crust strips.

Roll out the second portion of dough into a similar-sized circle for the lattice strips.

Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut the rolled-out dough into even strips. The width can vary based on your preference, but 1/2 to 3/4 inch is standard. Using a ruler can help you get even strips.

Scoop the chilled cherry filling into the crust. Make sure that the filling is spread evenly; it shouldn’t be mounded, with the center higher than the sides. You want the filling to touch the edges of the pan.

Lay out 4-5 strips parallel to each other across the top of the filled pie, leaving some space between each strip.

Fold back every other strip most of the way, then lay another strip perpendicular to the folded-back strips. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Fold back the alternate strips that were not folded the first time, lay down another perpendicular strip, and unfold the strips again. Repeat this process until the entire pie is covered in a lattice pattern.

Use scissors to trim any dough that’s hanging more than 1” off the sides of the pan.

Fold the overhang up and towards the center of the pie, which will tuck the ends of the strips into the overhang.

Press to seal. I formed somewhat of a thick and tall edge around the rim to prevent pie filling from boiling over. I even used some of the extra dough from the bottom crust and the cut-off overhang to help with that.

Crimp the sides if you'd like.

Chill the whole pie, uncovered, for 30 minutes before baking. While it’s chilling, place a baking sheet that’s big enough to catch any spillage in the lower third of the oven on the rack. Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C). Mine takes 10 minutes to reach that temperature, so I start preheating the oven 20 minutes after I put the pie in the fridge.

After 30 minutes of chilling, whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush the lattice and the edges of the crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the lattice crust.

Place the chilled pie on the hot baking sheet in the preheated oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 °F (190 °C) and bake for another 30-35 minutes. The filling will be a bit bubbly on the sides of the pan, and the top will be golden brown. Use a pie shield or cover the crust with foil if it starts to brown too quickly (I didn't need to do this).

Remove to a wire rack to cool at least 2 hours. The warmer it is, the runnier the filling will be. The pie you see in the photos sat overnight. Because crust is always best the day of baking, I recommend making the pie dough and filling a day ahead of baking. Then you can bake the pie the next morning which will give it time to settle and firm up before serving.

If you plan to eat the pie within 2 days, you can store it at room temperature. Cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep it fresh. For storage beyond 2 days, cover the pie with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. The pie will keep for up to 4 days. See post for tips on reheating and freezing.