Cherry Crisp Pie

MarthaStewartWanabe's Note:

I was in the mood for cherry pie but didn't want to make pie crust, so I improvised and made a cherry crisp in pie form. The recipe calls for fresh cherries, but you could substitute canned pie filling if they happen to be out-of-season. We liked this pie served a la mode and thought the sweetness of the crust and topping was a good balance with the tartness of the cherries.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 1.0 pie

Crust

• ¾ cup flour
• ½ cup brown sugar , packed
• ¼ cup butter , melted

Filling

• 4 cups tart cherries , with pits and stems removed
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping

• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup rolled oat
• ½ cup brown sugar , packed
• ¼ cup butter , softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients with a fork until mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a standard pie plate, using the back of a spoon or fingers.
3. Combine filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl; set aside until juice begins to form (Note: If the cherries are especially juicy, add more cornstarch for thickening. Otherwise, the pie filling will not set up well). Pour cherry mixture into crust.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients until butter is thoroughly incorporated. With fingers, crumble atop cherry filling.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until topping is crispy and brown, and filling is bubbly.
6. To allow the pie filling to set up well, cool for at least two hours on a wire rack.
7. Cut into eight slices to serve. If desired, garnish each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Reviews

[Donna M.]

This was very good, but I think if I make it again I would add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to enhance the flavor, and a few drops of red food coloring to brighten the color of the filling. We usied fresh picked tart cherries. I also had problems with the filling leaking under the crust, so be sure you build the sides up high enough to avoid this problem.

[knitaholic]

Divine! We had fresh picked cherries and needed a recipe. Boy, did we pick the right one :) The only mistake we made was not pushing the crust up high enough on the sides, as the filling stuck to the pie pan, but we'll know for next time. My 7yo daughter gave it 2 thumbs up. The 3 adults that were sampling it couldn't wait 2 hours to try it. The pie set up nicely after 60 minutes cooling time. We also ate it for breakfast the next morning. Thanks for posting - this one's a keeper!

[BizMack]

AMAZING!! One of our friends made this for us, and we absolutely devoured it. The crust is to die for, and the topping adds a delicious crisp touch. We quickly requested the recipe and will be making it again and again!