Dark Cherry Crumble Pie the Perfect Dessert

Maya-Camille Broussard’s shop Justice of the Pies in Chicago is inspired by her father’s work as a criminal defense lawyer on the West Side of Chicago. When she was young, she says, he would pull her away from the television and into the kitchen. In addition to turning out delicious pies like this one, Justice of the Pies is focused on community development and inclusion. This pie, which uses fresh, sweet cherries, amaretto and toasted oats, has no thickeners for a cleaner, more fruit-forward flavor.

Recipe Courtesy of Foodandwine.com

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 12 cups pitted fresh or thawed frozen dark sweet cherries (about 4 pounds) 
• 2 cups granulated sugar 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 2 tablespoons amaretto 
• 1 teaspoon almond extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 tablespoon fine yellow cornmeal 
• 1 Master Pie Dough pie shell 
• 1/2 cup uncooked regular rolled oats 
• 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces) 
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

 Method

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together cherries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high, stirring often, until cherries soften and release liquid, about 15 minutes. Pour mixture into a colander set over a bowl; let drain 20 minutes.

• Step 2

  Transfer drained cherries to a large bowl; reserve strained juice for another use. Stir in amaretto, almond extract, and salt. Sprinkle cornmeal in an even layer over bottom of frozen pie shell; pour cherry mixture evenly into prepared pie shell. Bake in preheated oven until crust is light golden brown, about 35 minutes.

• Step 3

  While pie bakes, stir together oats, flour, and brown sugar in a bowl. Add butter; using your hands, incorporate butter until mixture resembles small peas.

• Step 4

  Remove pie from oven; sprinkle with oat mixture. Return to oven; bake at 350°F until topping and crust are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.