Triple Cherry Almond Crunch Pie

Use your favorite pie crust recipe or a store-bought pie crust. Place the dough into your pie pan and flute the edges. Refrigerate while making the cherry filling. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Note: All of the cherries should be pitted. They can be sliced or whole. Fresh or frozen red tart cherries (Montmorency) are best, but the canned Morellos that Trader Joe’s carries are great also. Feel free to use dried Bing cherries if you can’t find them either canned or frozen. If using frozen cherries, it works best to allow them to thaw before adding them to the sugar mixture.

Mix sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt together with a whisk in a 2 quart pot. Add all of the cherries (and the juice if using canned cherries) and let the mixture set for about 5-10 minutes to let the sugar mixture dissolve. Then cook the cherry mixture on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in butter and almond extract.

Make the almond crumble: Put the sugar and flour into a food processor (or bowl) and mix thoroughly. Add the butter, and pulse several times until mixture looks mealy and butter is well incorporated. You can use a pastry cutter if you don’t have a food processor. Add the sliced almonds and mix lightly with a spoon.

Pour the cherry filling into the pie crust. Top evenly with the almond crumble topping. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Allow to cool thoroughly before serving.