Sour Cherry–Almond Crumble Pie Recipe

If using a pastry dough, par-bake the crust until it is blistered and blonde; set aside to cool. For a crumb or cracker crust, do not prebake it. In a large bowl, combine the cherries with the tapioca so that it has a chance to soften. Set aside. To Make the Crumble: If making your own almond flour, mill small batches of blanched almonds in a spice grinder until fine textured (about the consistency of buckwheat flour). Don’t overprocess or it will become almond butter. A spice mill works better than a full-sized food processor because it grinds the nuts more consistently. Measure out 2 cups almond flour and refrigerate any excess for another recipe. Mix the flour with the sugar, ginger, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture clumps up to form gravel-sized lumps, then chill this mixture. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the cherries with the sugar, butter, and zest. Scrape the cherry filling into the crust, and sprinkle the crumble evenly onto the cherries. Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling nice and slow around the edges and the crumb is pale gold. Be patient, it could take longer. If the crumble begins to brown too much, loosely rest foil on top of the pie. Cool the pie completely before cutting, at least a few hours. Serve it at room temperature. Store the pie uncovered at room temperature, up to 3 days. I gave my love a cherry That has no stone, I gave my love a chicken That has no bone, I gave my love a baby That’s no cryin’. How can there be a cherry That has no stone? How can there be a chicken That has no bone? How can there be a baby That’s no cryin’? A cherry when it’s buddin’, It has no stone. A chicken in the eggshell It has no bone. A baby when it’s sleepin’ Is no cryin’. —old appalachian song