Cherry Almond Crumble Pie

Fourth of July sparklers

"Is apple pie Fourth of July-sie?" asked my friend Christie.
"Of course!" I responded, "It's the classic American pie!"

That's all it took for Christie to decide that she was making her famous Apple Crumble Pie for a 4th of July potluck. Her pie is "famous" because it's the reason her husband married her (or so he claims). I guess I should feel lucky that Christie was already married by the time that C had the chance to try her apple pie! (It's really good.) Since Christie was making apple pie, I offered to make a cherry pie.

I first made cherry pie for 4th of July in 2012. The juicy, red filling against the slightly browned crust seemed patriotic. It just needed a few blueberries for a burst of blue. The crumble topping was delicious and made mostly of oats and shredded coconut. This year, I wanted to change it up. I used the same technique for the cherry filling but I used sweet cherries and decreased the sugar. The major change was the flavor. In addition to cherry, I wanted to add almond.

I owe the idea to a Blueberry Almond Streusel Galette. I first made the galette with blueberries, then again with a combination of blueberries and cherries, and then, upon C's request, with cherries alone. There was no contest: the cherry version was our favorite. A galette didn't seem nearly as American as pie, so I decided to put the galette filling into a pie pan. The streusel topping called for crumbled almond paste, so I had a fair bit on hand. To use up the almond paste, I decided to mix it into cream cheese for a cream cheese layer under the cherry filling. Oh, and I cut out stars from the extra pie dough to give the pie a little patriotic flair!

Objective
Make a cherry pie similar to my 4th of July Cherry Pie, but flavored with almond paste.

Materials
Pie crust:
1 cup + 2 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
dash salt
5 tbsp. butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 tbsp. shortening, cut into cubes
1/4  cup milk (give or take)

Cream cheese filling:
3 oz. almond paste, grated
1 tbsp. sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cherry filling:
16 oz. sweet cherries (if frozen, thaw and save juice)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup of cherry juice (+ water if needed)

Crumble topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. almond paste, grated
2 tbsp. butter

Methods
1. Prepare the dough for pie crust: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, butter, and shortening a few times until the mixture becomes pea-sized crumbs. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the milk, only adding enough to bring the dough together (it should be crumbly and there will be a little bit of unincorporated flour). Pour the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and, using the plastic wrap, gather the dough into a ball and knead a few time to incorporate any loose flour. Flatten into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes before assembling the pie.

2. Make the crumble topping: Stir together the flour, rolled oats, ground almonds, and brown sugar. Use your fingers to rub in the butter and almond paste until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the pie.

3. Make the cream cheese filling: blend together the almond paste and sugar (use a food processor if you have one). Add the cream cheese, egg yolk, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the pie.

4. Make the cherry filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cherry juice/water and cornstarch. Add the sugar and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Add the cherries and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

5. Assemble the pie: Roll out the pie crust to fit a 9 or 9.5" pie plate. Lay the crust in the pie plate and crimp the edges however you desire. Next, spread the cream cheese filling over the bottom of the crust. Pour the cherry filling over the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the rest of the pie. Place on an a baking sheet to catch any drips while baking.

6. Bake the pie at 400º for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, tent the pie with foil, turn the temperature down to 350º, and continue baking for 20 more minutes. Move to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Results
Yum! Almond flavored, thin layer of cherry filling and delicious crumble topping. This is the perfect excuse to use frozen or canned cherries because you're making it into a jammy filling.

Discussion and Future Directions
The long ingredients list suggests that this is a challenging and laborious pie. It's certainly not as easy as dumping cherry filling into a pie crust and baking it, but it's definitely easier than making a lattice top!

The cream cheese is a nice way to break up the almond paste and improve the texture. It becomes a smooth, cheesecake-like layer (though it's very thin and just there for flavor, not texture). You could double or triple the cream cheese layer for more of a cheesecake pie. You could eliminate the cream cheese layer altogether and double the cherry filling for a traditional, deeper-dish cherry pie. You could skip the crumble topping and layer 50 stars over the top for an even more stunning display! If you prefer double-crusted pies, double the crust recipe, lay a round over the top of the filling and make slits. Perhaps a star? Maybe some sort of flag pattern? The sky is the limit!

This is the pie to make if you love almond flavor. If you prefer cherry alone, give my 4th of July Cherry Pie a try! If you have local, fresh, perfectly ripe cherries, I would opt for the 4th of July Cherry Pie instead of the Cherry Almond Crumble Pie because it would give the cherries a chance to be the star. Here, the cherries and almond share the stage.

Supplementary Materials

Holiday Traditions: Pumpkin Pie

In my family, holidays are all about tradition. I've been longing for the day we can break tradition and mix up our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, but I do commend my mom for making small changes that have helped decreased the stress level of holiday meals. For example, we no longer have a turkey for Christmas. Instead, my mom has started a tradition of making pot roast. While she could have made it really easy, she chose to make two kinds of pot roast this year, one in the slow cooker and one in the oven, plus a ham "for leftovers." Like I said, she's starting to make small changes. The one thing she's never let me change is dessert. My grandma Marvel always made pumpkin and chocolate meringue pie for holidays, so that's the tradition. I can add pies or cheesecake to the traditional menu, but I am simply not allowed to forgo pumpkin pie and chocolate meringue pie.

Thanksgiving 2010: Grandma Marvel taught me to make pie!

Last November, when Cowboy MD Boyfriend came to St. Louis, we made this pumpkin pie out of a cushaw squash. When I told my mom about the delicious pumpkin pie we made, I explained that I asked the farmers at Soulard Farmers' Market for whatever squash would make the best pie. They all concurred that sugar pumpkins or "pie pumpkins" are not the best choice. They all suggested butternut over pumpkin and other unique varieties over butternut. I told her I had frozen some of the pureed squash and would love to make it into our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.  Her response was something to the effect of "No way, no how. That's not a pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is made with pumpkin!" I tried to convince her that it would taste even better than pumpkin pie, but she wouldn't listen (even after I explained that most canned pumpkin is actually made of butternut squash).

This year, I was put in charge of Christmas pies and would be making them by myself. Since I was in charge, I got to use my own recipe for pumpkin pie and chocolate meringue pie and pick my own ingredients. I decided to make the Better Homes and Gardens Pumpkin Pie recipe instead of my grandma's go-to, the Libby's recipe written on the can of pumpkin puree. Since I knew that I wouldn't be able to find a cushaw squash in Madison, I picked up a butternut squash. The night before I planned to bake the pie, I sliced the squash in half, scooped out the seeds, placed it cut-side down onto a foil-lined baking sheet and baked both halves at 350º until the skin was pulling away from the flesh and the flesh was tender enough to be scooped out of the skin. I measured out 1 1/4 cup and refrigerated it overnight. Before making the pie, I pureed the squash in the food processor, then proceeded to make the recipe.

Objective
Make a pumpkin pie with butternut squash. Recipe based on Better Homes and Gardens' Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Mousse.

Materials
1 blind-baked pie crust, cooled *read more in the Discussion
1 1/4 cup butternut squash puree
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup skim milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 375º.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the butternut squash puree, dark and light brown sugars, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until the sugar dissolves and the puree is hot throughout, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk together the eggs, skim milk, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla. Gently whisk into the cooling puree. Place the pie crust on a sheet pan and pour the filling into the crust.
4. Bake the pie for 1 hour, then insert a knife into the center of the pie. If the pie is done, the knife will come out clean. If not, continue to bake until it is done cooking. *Note: be sure to monitor the color of the crust as the pie bakes. Once it gets to the shade of brown you prefer, use a pie shield to prevent the crust from burning. You can make your own pie shield by cutting a circle that barely overlaps the filling out of the center of a piece of aluminum foil and setting it over the pie plate.
5. Cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream (or the hazelnut mousse from the link above).

Results
The pie was more of a deep brown than orange with a deep caramel flavor. (If you use a cushaw squash, it will be caramely and nutty--if you choose a squash at a farmers' market, ask the farmers for their recommendation. They'll be able to tell you how the squash tastes cooked and they'll know what makes the best pie!) While I didn't post the hazelnut mousse recipe, it was a huge hit and all agreed that it could be eaten by the spoonful. Ours was technically almond mousse because I used amaretto, but nevertheless, it was rich, flavorful, and very creamy.

Discussion and Future Directions
Everyone has their own secret to the perfect holiday pie. C's mom makes hers with sweetened condensed milk in place of evaporated milk and she doubles the spices. My grandma always made hers following the recipe on the back of the can exactly as written. While you can get away with the pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin puree, I think this one is more flavorful. Plus, you can probably make it with things you have on hand since it doesn't require evaporated milk. If you want an extra special holiday dessert, serve with the hazelnut mousse. Hosting for kids? While it doesn't have that much alcohol, you could leave out the liquor and flavor it with vanilla or almond extract if you don't feel comfortable letting kids eat it. While we generally make our chocolate cream pie with meringue, I kind of wish it had been slathered with the mousse, it's that good!

A note on the crust: the original recipe contains a crust recipe that makes three single crust pies. You can absolutely choose to make that crust, but know that it will shrink tremendously (so don't spend time decorating the edges). It's an interesting recipe that uses vinegar and sour cream. The final product is very buttery and flakey. I made the full crust recipe and used the pastry to make a pumpkin, chocolate cream, and a German chocolate pecan pies. If you have a favorite pie crust, feel free to use it!

Supplementary Materials

The cushaw squash version (that's not the crust recipe from the link)

Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls

With the holidays coming up, there's still plenty of time to treat yourself and loved ones to baked goods inspired by fall flavors. Overnight guests always warrant something extra special for breakfast and in my opinion, there are few better ways to wake up in the morning than to the smell of cinnamon rolls baking. Let me tell you how much I would have preferred waking up to these cinnamon rolls instead of waking up to my boyfriend crawling into bed at 5 am after he'd been paged into the children's hospital sometime after midnight. Unfortunately for him, after just a few hours of sleep, he had to head back to the hospital for morning rounds. Though he didn't get to wake up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls either, he did get to come home to the two we saved him (and breakfast tacos)!

Now, here's a trick. You can make these as sticky buns by putting the topping in the bottom of the pan and flipping the rolls out of the pan after baking. Alternatively, you can make them extra beautiful and clean-eating by pouring the topping over the rolls before baking. You can even make them in muffin tins (or prep bowls like I did) for lovely muffin-like edges.

Objective
Make cinnamon rolls with cushaw squash butter as the filling based on my Apple Butter Sticky Buns.

Materials
(This recipe makes 8 rolls)
Dough:
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream, light works fine)
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups bread flour (depending on the amount of moisture in your dough)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ginger

Filling:
1/2 cup pumpkin/winter squash butter (see Supplementary Materials)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Topping:
1 1/4 tsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup light Karo syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 pecan halves

Methods
1. To prepare the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (120º-130ºF) and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir in squash puree, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and sour cream. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, mixing well. If the dough is still very sticky (tacky is fine), add more flour (about 2 tbsp. at a time). You want the dough to be tacky, even a tiny bit sticky is ok. Knead it a few times to make a smooth ball. Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise to double (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch the dough down and rise to double again (about 1 hour). Pat the dough out to a 16" by 12" rectangle.

2. To prepare the topping: During the final rise, prepare the topping. Stir together the melted butter and the honey/syrup. Pour into an ungreased 8" cake pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.

3. To make the rolls: Spread the dough with apple butter (leaving a 2 inch border along one long edge). Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the dough, starting with the long apple buttery edge to the edge with the 2" border. Use a knife to mark where to cut for 8 rolls. Then, use dental floss to cut the rolls. Slide a long piece of dental floss (about 12" should work) under the roll at one of your division marks. Switch each end to the other hand to form a loop, and pull. You should have a nice clean edge. Place a pecan on the clean edge and place the roll pecan-side down in your pan (for sticky buns) or up for cinnamon rolls, spacing the 8 rolls evenly over the prepared topping. Cover the rolls and let rise 30 minutes (if you're planning to bake them right away) or put them in the fridge to rise overnight. If you're chilling over night, make sure to take the buns out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to baking, but 60 minutes is better (you want to get the chill off and give the yeast a chance to increase its rate of metabolism).

4. To bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350º. Place the cake pan with risen rolls on a sheet pan to catch drips. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Take the pan out of the oven. If you made sticky buns, loosen the edge with a knife (you can skip this if you use a non-stick pan) and flip out onto a parchment paper-lined plate. If you made cinnamon rolls, they can cool in the pan. Cool 15-30 minutes before serving.

Results
The cinnamon rolls are golden brown and lightly sweet. The sticky buns are sweeter and (not surprisingly) sticky!


Discussion and Future Directions
Pumpkin butter has a unique flavor. It's similar to apple butter but has a hint of squash flavor. Consequently, these cinnamon rolls taste like cinnamon rolls with a hint of squash flavor with a strong pecan flavor. If you want to focus the flavor on pumpkin, leave the chopped pecans out of the filling. If you don't like pecans, other nuts could be substituted, maybe try walnuts or hazelnuts, but there's something special about a candied pecan baked into the top of these cinnamon rolls.

Supplementary Materials

Pumpkin/Winter Squash Butter
2 cups pureed winter squash
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. clove
Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture has thickened, take it off the heat and move it to a covered container. Store in the fridge. Lasts 3-4 weeks.

Winter Squash Cheesecake with Pecan Streusel

Last fall, I set out to make a homemade pumpkin pie. I went to the Soulard Farmer's Market in St. Louis in search of a pie pumpkin, but all the farmers I talked to agreed that I should forgo the pumpkin for other types of winter squash. I settled on an orange striped cushaw squash. The farmer told me that the texture was similar to a butternut (meaning not stringy) but with a sweeter, nuttier flavor. It was almost 2 feet long, gourd-shaped, and a beautiful light orange with white stripes. It was a lot of squash to bake, but worth it. We used it to make a delicious pie with a decadent amaretto mascarpone mousse. It was the perfect end to a fall day spent playing in the leaves at Forest Park. I remember packing two pieces "to-go" for C to take with him on the plane back to Houston. It seems like all of those flights between Houston and St. Louis were a lifetime ago. I am grateful that we now live in the same city.

This past Saturday, it felt like fall might have finally made its way to Houston. When we woke up, it was chilly and the sky was a bit overcast. C put on a flannel shirt and I chose a sweater. It turned out to be a lovely, sunny day, though the high was only 67º. We met a friend for pastries, stopped at a coffee shop, grabbed lunch at the Korean Festival, and picked out pumpkins to paint (since they rot too quickly once they've been carved). While perusing the bins of pumpkins, I came across a bin of "decorative squash." I got excited thinking I might find a cushaw squash. Sure enough! There weren't any orange cushaws but there were a number of green cushaw squash to choose from. Since the price was per squash instead of per pound, C picked out the biggest one.

So far we've only prepared the neck and it made over 5 cups of puree! I'm hoping to cook the bottom bit by bit to use in dishes that call for chunks of cooked squash instead of puree. We'll probably be eating cushaw squash everything for the next month. Serendipitously, we have overnight visitors every weekend for the next 3 weeks, so we'll have plenty of mouths to feed! Plus, sleepovers are the best excuse for cinnamon rolls and I'm already dreaming up a cushaw squash version! In the meantime, I decided to make a cushaw squash cheesecake.

I met C on a chilly October morning two years ago. Later that evening, while we were talking at a Halloween party, it came up I liked to bake. He asked my specialty. I told him cheesecake (though I have no idea why). He keeps pointing out that we've been dating over a year and a half and I have yet to bake him a cheesecake. This one should satisfy him for at least another year!

Objective
Make a layered cheesecake using a cushaw squash. The filling was adapted from Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake from Chocolate and Carrots and the crust is based on Graham Cracker Crust from The Kitchn.

Materials
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker/gingersnap/coconut shortbread crumbs (or any combination thereof)
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (omit if using gingersnaps)
pinch nutmeg
pinch cloves
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 tbsp. sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/4 cup winter squash puree (see Supplementary Materials)
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
pinch cloves
pinch nutmeg

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup light brown sugar
pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Make the crust: Crumble the graham crackers/cookies into a food processor. Add the sugar and spices. Process until the graham crackers are fine crumbs. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Pat into a 9" pie plate, making sure to cover the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3. Make the filling: Cream the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the sour cream. Pour all but 1/2 cup of the batter into the graham cracker crust. Use a spatula to move the filling to the edges and smooth into an even layer. Stir the pumpkin/squash puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg into the remaining 1/2 cup filling. Pour over the bottom cheesecake layer and spread evenly. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the streusel topping.
3. Make the streusel topping: Combine the streusel ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Rub the butter into the sugar to form a crumble topping. Set aside. Once the cheesecake has baked for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven. Sprinkle the crumble topping in an even layer over the cheesecake. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake has set. Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate overnight before serving.

Results
The crust was aromatic and flavorful (for full disclosure: I used 1 package of graham crackers and as many coconut shortbread cookies as it took to make 2 cups of crumbs). The cheesecake layer was thin but creamy with the flavor of pumpkin pie. The topping lent a crunch and was buttery and just sweet enough.

Discussion and Future Directions
This was a huge hit! We took it to a birthday party and came home with just one slice that was missing its tip. Everyone happily devoured their piece and I know at least one person had a second. The only complaint was that I didn't make two (after I shared that the original recipe made 2 cheesecakes). I was proud of myself for only making one because I suspected that if I'd made two, two would have been eaten. I was also very pleased that the pecan streusel turned out well after halving both the butter and the sugar. I certainly didn't miss either and actually thought that the butter could be reduced a bit more.

The only other change I might make in the future would be to make 1.5x the filling. The amount of filling here is the perfect amount for a store-bought graham cracker crust (because they're a little smaller than 9"). I think this turned out great (and lower calorie) as I made it, but it would have been nice to see a little bit more of the winter squash layer. Alternatively, I could put the squash layer on the bottom and the white layer on top. To tell it true, this recipe doesn't need tweaking! Plus, it would make a wonderful addition to a Thanksgiving table in addition to or in place of pumpkin pie.

Supplementary Materials

Winter Squash Puree
(For example: pumpkin, cushaw, butternut, delicata, or kabocha)
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with greased foil. Remove the stem of the squash and cut the squash in half the long way. Scoop out the seeds and place the squash cut-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until a fork easily pierces the skin and flesh of the squash. Depending on the size of your squash, this could range from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Let the squash cool until you can touch it without burning your fingers. Scoop the flesh from the skin and process it in the food processor or blender until smooth. *If you're lucky enough to find a cushaw, you'll probably want to cut off the stem and the neck and prepare the neck and base of the squash separately.

4th of July Cherry Pie

Fireworks over the Gateway Arch

What's more American that pie? For some reason, people love pie. I don't really get it. Nothing is less appealing to me than crust, so something sandwiched between two crusts really doesn't do it for me. Additionally, pie crusts are a pain to make (I don't care what your technique is, it's not good enough to make pie crust makin' a desirable activity). The easiest pie crust recipes I have are "pat-in" pie crusts so you don't have to roll them out. Easy enough, but generally horrendously uneven and ugly. Even when you buy a frozen pie crust, it often cracks and is a pain. You can poke it everywhere and it will still puff up. Don't even get me started on the edges cooking too quickly. I'm convinced pie crust does these things just to be irritating and make pie-making an annoying elitist experience.  Regardless, people I care about care about pie. Therefore, it would be wise of me to come to terms with pie making and pie eating. So that's what I'm going to do!

Objective
Make a cherry pie as my "dish to pass" for 4th of July activities. I saw this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens July 2012 issue. They call it "Double Cherry Crunch Pie." This version is very similar, but more accessible for people who don't have well-stocked grocers nearby. The filling has both sweet and tart cherries and the topping is a coconut/almond/oat crumble. *For a lower sugar version, look here.

Materials
1 9-inch or 9.5-inch pie crust

Filling:
1 12-oz bag of frozen sweet cherries
1 14-oz can of tart cherries in water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch salt
strips of lemon peel, from one lemon

Crumble topping:
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose for a milder flavor)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small 1/4-inch cubes

Methods
1. Prepare and bake the crust until lightly golden. If you're using a store bought crust: lay in the pie pan and press into place. Form the edges however it pleases you. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Bake at 450° for 7-10 minutes or until it's lightly golden. If it puffs up while baking, prick the puff with a fork to settle it. Set the crust aside. Then, preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Meanwhile, thaw the frozen sweet cherries in a bowl, reserving the liquid that drains off. Drain the canned tart cherries into a 1 cup (or greater) liquid measuring cup and add the tart cherries to the bowl of sweet cherries. Once the sweet cherries have thawed (can microwave in short intervals to speed up the process), add the juice to the measuring cup with the juice from the can. Add water to 1 cup if necessary.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the cherry juice and lemon peel. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the liquid bubbles and thickens (this should be quick). Stir in the cherries and continue to stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust and set aside.
4. Make the crumble topping by mixing the dry ingredients together, then slowly stirring in the butter cubes (add them slowly so that they don't clump together). Sprinkle on top of the cherry filling.
5. Bake the pie at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Results
This pie isn't much of a looker. However, as I hope you learned many years ago, looks aren't everything. The flavor is good, the filling is thick in consistency but not in depth. The crumble topping is also flavorful and adds nice texture.

Discussion and Future Directions
For pie, this is pretty easy to make. The crust is really the part you have to worry about. If you're not into crumble topping, you could easily make a lattice top and proceed that way. But you've read my feelings on crust--lattice top? Heck no. That's only for really special occasions. 4th of July potluck? Sorry America, you're not lattice-top worthy. Luckily, I love crumble topping on about everything.

If you like almonds, consider adding almond extract to the filling once it's done cooking. Cherry and almond go quite well together, which is probably why this topping has a very nontraditional ingredient: chopped almonds. If you like it on top, there's no reason not to add it to the filling too.

More on the filling--I wouldn't have minded more cherry filling. I might have preferred this as a deep dish cherry pie. There was a lot of crumble topping relative to the filling. However, I think the amount of crumble topping was good. Next time I might add another cup or so of cherries, keeping everything else the same (and that should fit in a normal size pie pan).

Overall, I actually liked this pie! I enjoyed a piece after dinner and we took it along to the bar after fireworks and continued picking at it (the crumble topping is great for picking)! This is a great summer pie, not just for the 4th of July! Give it a try!

Supplementary Materials

Kourabiedes (Greek Cookies with Brandy)

Objective
To make my grandma's recipe for Greek cookies. Many recipes for Kourabiedes use ground almonds. Another similar recipe adds cloves for flavor. I remember these cookies from Christmas Eve when I was a child, because my grandma wouldn't let me eat them. However, when I was old enough to dare to disobey, they quickly became a favorite!

Hypothesis: This recipe will make small, light, melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

Materials
1 pound unsalted butter (2 cups or 4 sticks)
2/3 cups powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup orange juice
4 cups all-purpose flour
brandy

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 300°.
2. Cream the butter and sugar for 15 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla. When fully incorporated, add powdered sugar and orange juice. Finally, add the flour and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Drop by teaspoon into powdered sugar, shape into a ball and flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Immediately brush tops lightly with brandy, then move onto waxed paper coated with powdered sugar and sift with more powdered sugar.
6. Let cool and store in a plastic bag for 24 hours before serving.

Results
My cookies took over 25 minutes to bake (I wanted them to be firm when I pulled them out of the oven) because I made them too big. The cookies are light and fluffy and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth! The flavor was excellent. They were best from 24-48 hours, but were still good for the next week and a half.

Discussion and Future Directions
This recipe makes a lot of cookies. I cannot give a good estimate because I made mine too big. Even halving the recipe, I had at least two full cookie sheets (far over 2 dozen). However, they are delicious and there was no trouble making them disappear. Next time I make these, I may try adding a bit of ground cloves just to see what it does to the recipe. These were great as holiday cookies and would be a great cookie to gift (for adults only--although there is such a small amount of alcohol per cookie that anyone could really eat them)!