County Fair Cherry Pie

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir in cherries. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Cook and stir cherry mixture over medium heat until mixture boils and starts to thicken.
• Pour into jars or freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Cool. Cover with lids; refrigerate or freeze. Yield: 3 cups filling for one pie.
• To make pie: Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Add thawed filling. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 40-45 minutes. Cover edges during the last 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, roll remaining dough to 1/8-in.-thick circle; cut stars using floured star-shaped cutters. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 7-11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• To serve, dust stars with confectioners' sugar; place over pie. Lightly dust edges of pie with confectioners' sugar.