Shabbat Dessert Round Up Part 1- Sour Cherry Crumble Pie

Since summer is here in full swing, I have decided to make fruit based desserts instead of only the usual chocolate. Not that I have anything against chocolate, I just... feel that people don't ever give any other flavors a chance. But my rant is really not the subject of this post. Sour Cherry Crumble Pie is. I saw jars of canned cherries for very cheap at the supermarket and picked up a few jars. That being because I've really been wanting to make cherry pie for a long time. This recipe comes from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I've had the book for a while but this is the first time I'm making something from it. From time to time, I flip through it to find something to make from it, but nothing ever seemed right. Until now! Being the type who likes to do as much work in advance as possible, I made the pie crust and the crumble and refrigerated them both overnight. All that was to do the next day was the filling, assembly and baking. So easy! Not to mention really delicious. For the crumble, I used 1/2 cup of already ground oat flour and 1/2 cup also of ground almonds in place of the pistachios because it was what I had on hand. Let me just say, the crumble was the best part. I kept surreptitiously picking bits off... Anyway the filling was good as well-- the only thing was that the thickener, the cornstarch, gave the filling a bit of a grainy mouth feel. Next time I might try an equivalent amount of tapioca or even flour. This pie was so good that there were actually no leftovers and a friend of mine who admits she doesnt like cherry pie liked this one! I would say we had a winner here!

Sour Cherry Crumble Pie
adapted from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book

1 9 inch pie crust
Crumble:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp margarine, melted


Sour Cherry Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 jars sour cherries, drained



For the crumble place all the dry ingredients in a bowl.Whisk to combine.Add the melted margarine,and stir until just crumbly. Do not overmix. Set aside.Roll out your pie dough into a ten inch circle.Carefully fit into the pie plate and trim the edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.In a large bowl, place all of the filling ingredients.Stir well to combine.Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell.Evenly scatter the crumble over the top.Bake for 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate if not serving right away. Welcome, summer!