Cherry Pie Recipe

For those who don't know, 1/5 cup is about 50 ml.  1 quart stemmed & pitted cherries1 1/5 cup raw sugar  (we used 1/2 cup of turbinado sugar)1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (we used regular whole wheat flour, what is pastry flour anyway?)1/8 teaspoon sea salt1 teaspoon squeezed lemon juice1/4 - teaspoon almond extractsprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon, or ginger (optional) (we used all three)2 Tablespoons non-hydrogenated, trans fat free, vegan buttery spread (we used Earth Balance)Bottom pie crust:1 1/5 cup flour1/2 teaspoon salt1/3 cup buttery spread1/4 cup water1 tablespoon sugar (optional) (we used it)Optional top crumble pie crust:1/4 cup melted vegan buttery spread1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/3 cup flour(Note in the following, "I" is whoever wrote this recipe, it is not Eve or Shevie)Preheat the oven to 425. For the bottom pie crust, I usually just mix the flour, salt, and softened buttery spread right in the pie pan (Eve didn't do it like this, but used the traditional method).  Add vegan sugar if you like your crust a little sweeter - kind of like a Christmas cookie (it does taste like a sugar cookie when done).  Mix well - until crumbly.  Add the water in small amounts - about 1 tablespoon each time.  Mix well with a fork.  You could roll out the dough between two sheets on waxed paper; however I just flatten it right into the pie pan with a spoon and my clean fingers.  Chill while mixing the filling.  If you want to pre-bake this crust for any reason, bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden.For the filling, mix the (hopefully) fresh and pitted cherries in a large bowl with the vegan sugar to sweeten.  Then add the flour and salt and toss lightly.  Add the lemon juice and almond extract as well as whatever other spices you decide to throw in.  Spoon into the pie shell.As far as a top piecrust, you can either double the recipe for the bottom crust and split into two parts (in which case you will have to roll out half for the top crust most likely), use the following recipe for a crumble crust which I find to be easier, or leave exposed.For the optional crumble pie crust (our choice), mix the melted buttery spread into the premixed flour and brown vegan sugar.  Mix until well coated and wet-ish looking.  Sprinkle this on top of the cherries; cover lightly and do not mix.Place into the oven for 35 to 45 minutes.  Until the bottom piecrust looks golden and the pie is a little bubbly.  If you have the time, it is slightly better to add the crumble crust about 15 to 20 minutes into the baking or it could get a little too hard - though I have not had any notable problems with this.  (We didn't see this and put the crumble topping on before putting it into the oven.  At 35 minutes it was done.  The crumble wasn't burned, but was a tad crunchier than we prefer.  We'll do the adding-it-later next time)Let cool and enjoy