Sour Cherry Crisp

Hello!  It has been ages!  I hope that your kitchen has seen a lot of baking action over the past few months.  I’ve been thinking a lot about baking, but I haven’t been able to translate many of those thoughts into action until this weekend, when Aunt Katie and my new cherry pitter arrived.  They didn’t come together (the cherry pitter arrived first, if you must know), but it was serendipitous that they both arrived on the same day, because they are two very important parts of this recipe.  If you don’t have a Katie in your life, then you really should go out there and find one.  I’ll be frank, we are not willing to share our Katie because she really tops the charts.  Who else would look the other way when I ate my kid’s ice cream cone because he wasn’t licking it fast enough (yes, having a toddler is the perfect excuse for eating not one, but two ice cream cones on a hot afternoon!)?  Who else would arrive with a talking puppy that can learn my kid’s name?  Who else would patiently pit all of these cherries?

 

Sour cherries are in right now, and I highly recommend grabbing some, ordering yourself a pitter, finding an Aunt Katie, and getting to work.  I haven’t eaten anything this tart and amazing in a long time.  If it wouldn’t have been rude, I would have eaten the entire pan by myself!  You can whip this up in the duration of a nap (not your nap, mind you), especially if Aunt Katie pits the cherries for you! 

 

Notes:
This is a fun recipe to make with someone else in the kitchen.  One (very patient) person can pit the cherries, and the other person can measure the other ingredients and make the crumble.  This will taste best using fresh sour cherries.  It won’t work with sweet cherries.  If you like things sour, then follow the recipe.  If you like things sweet, add a bit more sugar when you macerate the pitted cherries.  After you finish pitting the cherries, strain the pits to collect any juices that have accumulated, and add the juices to the macerating cherries.  There are two steps for dealing with the cherries: 1) macerating them, and 2) straining out the cherries and cooking down/thickening the juices so the cherries aren’t drowning and the crumble stays nice and crisp.  Topping this with a bit of vanilla ice cream (two scoops, please) would really send it over the edge...

Cherry Ingredients:
5 cups (732 g/1 lb 10 oz) unpitted sour cherries, rinsed
1 large lemon (use both juice and zest)
2 tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
½ cup (107 g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Crumble Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (38 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (51 g) dark brown sugar
¼ cup (54 g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (55 g) cold butter
¾ cup (186 g) rolled oats

7x11 inch glass pan (or 8x8-inch)

Pit, Stir, Macerate:
Pit the cherries using your preferred method.  Place the pits in a small bowl and the cherries (and their juices) in a large bowl.  Once all of the cherries are pitted, strain the pits and add any juice back to the cherries. There won’t be a ton of juice with the pits, but you want to capture every bit for your “sauce.”  Zest the lemon directly onto the pitted cherries.  In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.  Juice the lemon, strain out the seeds and pulp, and combine the juice with the cornstarch mixture.  Stir until no lumps remain.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the cherries along with the sugar, and gently stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Allow the cherries to rest for at least 30 minutes while you make the crumble topping.

Crumble, Refrigerate:
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, and cinnamon.  Add the butter and mix with your fingertips, two knives, or a pastry blender until the mixture is homogenous and resembles wet sand.  Stir in the rolled oats, and place the mixture in the refrigerator to chill until the cherries are ready.

Strain, Boil, Top, Bake, EAT:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.  Once the cherries have rested for 30 minutes, strain them, reserving the juices.  As you strain the cherries, press down gently on them (don’t smash them!) to remove any extra juices.  Place the cherries in the baking dish and set aside.  Place the reserved juices (about 1 cup) into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking regularly.  After the juice starts to boil, it will quickly thicken (in 1-2 minutes), so don’t leave it unattended.  Once the juice has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almond extract.  Pour the thickened mixture/sauce over the cherries and spread it out evenly.  Top with the prepared crumble mixture and bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes, or until the cherries are bubbling.  Turn up the heat to 400°F and bake for about 5 more minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.  Allow to cool for a bit and then serve.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

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