Sour Cherry Pie

Important recipe for Twin Peaks Club

Crust:
 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
 1 Tablespoon sugar
 3/4 teaspoon salt
 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

 Filling:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspooon salt
5 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries(about 2 lbs whole unpitted cherries)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juics (if using sour cherries) or 3 tablespoons (if using dark sweet cherries) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 tablespoons (1/4) stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 tablespoon milk vanilla ice cream

For crust: Whisk flour, sugar and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water, mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together, divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.

 For Filling: Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425degreesF. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice and vanilla. set aside. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9in glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4 inch wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhand to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream

Carne Esmechada

literally "shredded meat" from the time my family lived in Venezuela. This is very similar to pull pork barbecue.

This dish is great for using up leftover meat. Roast a chicken, pull off all the meat and cook it up Venezuelan style.

This can be used as a main dish, taco or enchilada filling, or traditionally to fill arepas.

I usually adjust to flavors to what I have on hand, but here is a basic recipe to give you an idea:

2 Tbls olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper., diced
3 cups shredded cooked meat - (chicken, turkey, pork, beef) (no skin)
1/2 - 1full Tbls ground cumin
2-4 Tbls vinegar - white, apple cider, or sherry if you have it

Optional additions:
raisins or dried fruit, honey for sweetness, chipotle for smoke, spice

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Saute the onions and peppers for about 5 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 10-20min. Don't add all the flavors at once. Taste as you go and add more acid (vinegar) or sweet as you deem appropriate.