Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Toss together the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla extract and corn starch in a large bowl until evenly coated.

Roll out the bottom pie crust, and gently lay it in a 9-inch pie pan. (See detailed instructions here.) Transfer the cherry filling to the pie crust, and sprinkle with little dots of butter.

Roll out the top pie crust, and either lay on top and cut a few slits in the middle to make a full double pie crust (detailed instructions here). Or cut the top pie crust into strips to make a lattice pie crust.

Brush pie crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes, before baking.

Place the pie in the middle rack, with a baking sheet or pie of aluminum foil on the rack below to catch any pie drippings. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temp to 350°F and cook for 35-45 additional minutes, or until the crust is nicely golden and the filling is thick and bubbly.

Remove and allow to cool completely before serving.