Sour Cherry Pie

I only have a few more packs of sour cherries in the freezer; they came from my dear friend Elma's sour cherry tree, so it takes a special occasion to warrant using them!  Elma and her husband moved recently from their little farmette, so when my sour cherry supply is depleted, that's it!  :(

Source:  Adapted from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes

9" unbaked pie crust

crumb topping or pastry for lattice strips

3 c. canned or frozen cherries, undrained

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. water

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. almond flavoring

1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cherries, sugar and salt in saucepan and heat to boiling.

Dissolve cornstarch in a portion of the 1/2 c. water, then stir into cherry mixture.  Cook just until thickened, stirring constantly.  Add the rest of the water if necessary.  Remove from heat.

Stir in almond flavoring and butter.  Pour into crust.  Add crumb topping or make a lattice of pastry strips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until browned.  

Note: Be sure to allow pie to cool completely before serving or transporting.  I omitted this step, and my pie ran all over the place when I was transporting it!!  :(

Sour Cherry Cobbler

I was going to attempt a sour cherry pie for our potluck dinner with the neighbors this evening, but this cobbler gave the same flavor with much less effort!  The frozen sour cherries came from my dear friend Elma's tree.

Source:  Taste of Home magazine, February/March 1995

5 c. pitted canned or frozen tart red cherries
2-1/2 T. lemon juice
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2-1/2 T. cornstarch
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg

Topping:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 T. butter
1/3 to 1/2 c. milk

Drain cherries, reserving 1/4 c. juice; discard remaining juice.  Combine cherries and lemon juice; set aside.  In a saucepan, combine sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir in cherry juice.  Bring to a  boil, stirring occasionally; boil 2 minutes.  Add cherries; pour into an ungreased 8" square baking dish.

For topping, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in butter until crumbly.  Stir in enough milk to moisten.  Drop by tablespoonfuls over cherries.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield:  6-8 servings.