Cherry Streusel Pie
For those who, like me, haven’t mastered the art of the double-crusted pie, streusel is a godsend. Quick and easy, the crumbly concoction is a terrific makeshift crust that adds an extra yum in every slice.
While popularized as the topping of the Dutch apple pie, I’ve found streusel goes just as well on the cherry variety. This works particularly in our family, since Mom is an avid cherry pie lover, and so far, among the many bakers in the family, I’m the only one who can claim dibs on cherries.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 pre-made pie crust disk
Filling:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cans (15 ounces) tart pitted cherries, drained or 2 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen sour cherries, thawed and pitted
Streusel:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
- 6 tablespoons 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
Preparation
- Transfer crust to 9-inch glass pie dish, press into bottom to shape and crimp edges. Keep chilled until use.
- For streusel: Mix flour, both sugars, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla, cutting together with pastry cutter or rub in fingertips until small clumps form. Set aside.
- For filling: Position rack in center of oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix sugar, flour, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to crust, mounding in center. Crumble streusel over, covering completely and pressing to adhere.
- 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.
Yields 8 servings