SWEET CHERRY PIE WITH PECAN CRUNCH

Have you ever wanted to hybridize a pie and a crisp? We did, too! So we layered a buttery crust under this sweet, cherry filling, then topped it with a mixture that might go on top of a tasty crisp. Note that we call for sweet cherries, like Bing or so-called “dark” cherries. They’ll give a richer, more comforting finish to the flavors, particularly under this nutty topping. Best of all, this slab pie works best with frozen cherries, so it can be made all year long without much fuss.

For the pie

Single-crust version of All-Butter Crust

4 pounds frozen pitted sweet cherries (do not thaw)

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

¼ cup instant tapioca

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon limoncello or fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.

2. Stir the cherries, sugar, tapioca, flour, limoncello or lemon juice, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until the cherries are evenly coated. Set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare and shape the crust as directed in a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.

4. After 10 minutes, stir the filling, then pour and spread it into the prepared crust. Do not wash the bowl.

For the crunch

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups chopped pecans

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

18 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1. Stir the flour, pecans, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl used for the filling until evenly moistened but bound into a ball. Squeeze this mixture into small handfuls, then crumble these evenly over the filling in small pebbles and sandy bits.

2. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crunch topping is golden brown, about 50 minutes. The topping may begin to brown too deeply after about 35 minutes. If so, cover loosely with aluminum foil until the filling is bubbling, then uncover and bake a couple of minutes, just to dry out the topping. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

TESTER NOTES

Old-fashioned sweet cherry pies are often made with a little almond extract. Feel free to add ½ teaspoon to the filling mixture for that classic flavor. However, if you do, do not use limoncello, only lemon juice, and reduce its amount to 1½ teaspoons.