Okay, the title is a pun...get it "book cover" and cherry pie?:) This is the photo that many of you saw on our hardcover book, Amish Cook at Home. This was the first major book project that Lovina and I collaborated on and I'm very pleased with the way the book came out. Â The cover shows then 13-year-old Elizabeth Eicher standing out on her front porch holding a just-baked cherry pie. Â But creating such a cover takes many takes. We shot the photo in the very early morning hours to take advantage of the softer natural light that time of day. Â The cover picture and all the book's photos were taken by Betsy Blanton Dellaposta, a superb photographer. Â But that wasn't the only photo she took that morning. Â We thought about trying to put a buggy in the background, but ultimately decided that would just be too much imagery overload. Â Still,below is what we came up with. I found the photo while going through some old photos today and thought it was too pretty not to share even though we never used it. Â What did we do after the photo shoot? Â Ate the pie, of course!:) Â Yum! Lovina makes her own homemade pie filling. Â Here is her recipe:
LOVINA'S HOMEMADE CHERRY PIE FILLING
5 cups sugar
8 cups cherries, pitted
8 cups water
1 1/ 4 cup Perma-flow
In a large bowl, add half of the sugar to the fruit and let stand overnight. The next day, drain the liquid from the fruit into another large bowl and add enough water to have 8 cups. Cook the Perma-flow, the rest of the sugar, and the water together in a large pot for 10 minutes. Add the fruit and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the fruit and cook for another 10 minutes. Put into jars and cold pack for 10 minutes. This can be used for pie or cheesecake.
Vicki Sprague
What is perma-flow? Anything like clear-gel?
Kevin
Vicki, yes, it is a thickener
Wendy
Does Lovina use sour cherries? You can't get those in the super-markets around here. I guess not enough people make their own pie filling anymore. My grandparents used to have a sour-cherry tree in their yard. Oh, yum. Cherry pie is my absolute favorite.
Could corn starch be substituted for the Perma-flow?
Theresa
Thanks Kevin, Now I have to make a cherry pie!!! Oh, speaking of pi, could you please ask Lovina if the topping on her shoofly pie can be reduced? It seems to be just a little too much on top of the pie. Thank You Theresa
Jan Smith
What is the first ingredient? My copy of the post says 5 c then blank. It doesn't say what we need.
Thanks,
Jan
Mona G.
Wow, that is a beautiful looking pie....do you know how many pies this would make ?
Marcela
I came across this book when browsing my library's very extensive cookbook section. It was the title that peeked my interest but ultimately the cover photo sealed the deal for me. I checked out this book & The Amish Cook's Baking Book. I love that I can read these books cover to cover like a story. Most importantly, I love that God is all over these books, in the images and in the words! I am saving up to buy my own copies and try out as many recipes as I can! My congratulations to you, Betsy (photographer), Lovina and her beautiful family for a job well done!
Kevin
Marcela, thank you for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the book and glad you found us here!
alyssa
how do u make the lattice pie top?