Test Kitchen tips: Use foil to prevent over-browning

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Pie browning too quickly? Cover the crust with foil. Foil tenting is an old kitchen trick. If your food is coloring more quickly than it is cooking, foil can be a lifesaver. Gently cover the exposed pie crust with a thin sheet of foil (you don’t need a fancy pie shield) to keep the crust from burning before the filling is cooked.

Same goes with roasts and casseroles. Gently tent the quickly-coloring areas to keep them from browning too fast, lightly greasing the foil if you’re worried about it sticking to the food.

For summer pie ideas and recipes, continue reading below.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

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Photo: Bob Carey / Los Angeles Times

Sweet cherry pie

Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling time

Servings: Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

3/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling over the pie

1/4 cup cornstarch

6 cups sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, preferably Grand Marnier

Prepared flaky pie crust for 1 double-crust pie

1 egg

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the three-fourths cup sugar with the cornstarch. Stir in the cherries, coating completely, then stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur until evenly combined.

3. Line a 9-inch pie plate with half of the pie crust. Pile in the cherries, sprinkling over the cherries any additional sugar-cornstarch mixture that did not stick to the fruit.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg to form a wash.

5. Prepare the top crust, adding decorative cutouts or cutting lattice strips if desired. Cover the top of the pie with the prepared top crust, sealing the edges with the egg wash and cutting vents if needed.

6. Brush the top of the crust with the egg wash, and sprinkle over a light coating of sugar.

7. Place the pie in the oven and bake until the crust is a rich golden color and the filling is bubbly and thick, about 1 hour and 15 minutes; rotate the pie halfway through for even coloring, and tent if needed to prevent over-coloring.

8. Cool before serving.

Each of 8 servings: 569 calories; 7 grams protein; 79 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 25 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 65 mg. cholesterol; 37 grams sugar; 449 mg. sodium. More pie recipes and how-to videos