Cherry-Blueberry Pie

"Can she make a cherry pie, Billy-boy, Billy-boy?
Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy? She can make a cherry pie, Quick as a cat can wink an eye, She's a young thing, And cannot leave her mother."

I actually left my mother some time ago, but the pie part is right. Of course, there's no great trick to that, either (hence the expression, "easy as pie"), but the fact remains that a cherry pie is a fine thing, especially when the cherries are combined with blueberries. This is a simple, fast, and delicious use for all the fresh berries available this time of year, and since it has a minimal amount of sugar, it's pretty healthy, too. Please note that I haven't included a recipe for a pie crust, because I confess that pastry dough is not one of my strong points, so I use prepared whole wheat crust from the health food store; if you are fortunate enough to have the knack for it, however, please use whatever home-made crust you like best! That said, there is something so archetypically "homey" about a lattice-top pie fresh from the oven that, even with store-bought pastry, your family is virtually guaranteed to "ooh" and "aah" when they come in and see this cooling on the windowsill. (You may as well complete the picture by putting on a gingham apron; it couldn't hurt, right?)

Cherry-Blueberry Pie
Ingredients:
~ Pie crust dough for 1 lattice-top pie (about 1.5 recipe for a 9" pie, or 2 prepared pie crusts)
~ 2 cups pitted, stemmed cherries, sliced
~ 2 cups blueberries, stemmed
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ Juice of 1 lemon
~ 1/4 cup sugar
~ 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
~ 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
~ 1/4 cup flour

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.
~ Roll out pie crust and line a 9" pie dish, reserving enough for a lattice top.
~ In a large bowl, mix together the berries, vanilla and lemon juice.
~ Sift the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour, then add to the berry mixture.
~ Combine thoroughly and pour into prepared pie crust.
~ Cut extra dough into strips and lay across the top in a criss-cross pattern.
~ Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
~ Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30 minutes until browned and bubbly.
~ Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
~ Serve with soy ice cream, or Bird's custard (yes, it's vegan!).