Cherry Streusel Pie

It's almost cherry season. Well, I hope it's almost cherry season...I read recently that Michigan's cherry crops suffered through some strange spring weather this year & farmers may lose 90% of their fruit. This makes me very sad.

Awaiting the arrival of Montmorency tart cherries is something I look forward to every year. Sour cherry pie is probably my favorite dessert of all time. 

Luckily, I still had a few pounds of last year's cherries in the freezer. So, last week I tried a new pie recipe that I found on Bon Appetit's website. 

It's made with a traditional pie crust on the bottom (I used my favorite crust recipe), a sour cherry filling (no gooey canned stuff, please!), and a crispy, cinnamony struesel topping...perfect for those of use who can't seem to get that top pie crust to look pretty!

Cherry Streusel Pie

 recipe from Bon Appetit

For the streusel:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

For the filling:

1 cup (scant) sugar *
3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 pounds sour cherries, pitted **

* I like a tarter (more tart?) pie, so I cut back to 1/2 cup of sugar.

** Look for fresh sour cherries at farmers' markets or use Bing cherries instead and add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to the filling.  

1. Roll out pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold edges under. Crimp, forming high rim (about 1/2 inch above sides of dish). Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.  
2. For the streusel: Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; rub in with fingertips until small clumps form. Cover & let stand at room temperature. (Can be made 4 hours ahead.)
3. For the filling:  Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to chilled crust, mounding in center. Sprinkle streusel over, covering completely and pressing to adhere.
4. Bake pie 20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Bake until filling bubbles thickly and streusel is golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer. Cool on rack.