Pastry for a 9 inch double crust
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (12 oz)
1 cup raisins
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (taste and add more or less)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the cranberries, raisins, and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Mix the sugar and flour. Stir into the hot cranberry mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in almond and vanilla. Spoon into the pastry-lined pan. Put on the top crust, cutting slits for steam to escape. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Seal the edges and flute. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling in the middle. (Put foil under it or one of those metal pie moats to catch drips.) Cover crust edges with foil if it is getting too brown.

This is usually a winter pie because that's when fresh cranberries are available in the markets. I buy several packages and freeze them for summer pies.

Another solution is to buy canned sour cherries in water, drain them, and stir into the gooey canned cherry pie filling to increase the cherry density.