Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumble

This week's recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays was chosen by Michelle of Flourchild. I was really excited about this recipe because I absolutely love cherry pie. If I had to pick a favorite pie, I think cherry would be it. And its a perfect dessert for Memorial Day weekend.



We love to make pies in my family! There are always pies at the holidays- pumpkin and mincemeat at Thanksgiving and Christmas, lemon meringue and coconut cream at Easter, and cherry and blueberry pies for any patriotic holiday. And of course my husbands favorites, apple and banana cream, can go any time of the year.

I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to making the crust. My mom and I have used my grandmother's recipe for years with the same flaky result every time, so I chose to stick with my own recipe for the crust. It uses shortening instead of butter and my mom taught me to cut it in using two butter knives. It is a bit of a chore, but it works! I promised my mom I wouldn't divulge the recipe, but one of our secrets is to roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so you do not have to worry about it sticking to the rolling pin or the counter. It also makes it really easy to transfer the dough into the pie plate.


The filling was simple enough. I added a little cinnamon and a dash of almond extract. Unfortunately, I have not been able to try the pie yet because I am bringing it to a party this evening. However, it smelled wonderful in the oven! I am anxious to try the crumb topping, and even though I think the pistachios will taste wonderful, I would like to try making the recipe with almonds or walnuts next time.

Thanks Michelle for picking this recipe. It seems like a great spin on a favorite classic. If you would like the recipe, you can find it on Michelle's site.