Celebrating National Cherry Pie Day

February 20th is National Cherry Pie day, and we're hoping it will be cheerful and cherry-full! Nestled between President's Day and George Washington's birthday, it's a perfect time to bake up a slice of classic American cuisine. According to tradition, this holiday is inspired by the legend of young George Washington cutting down his father's prized cherry tree. Folklore aside, we're excited to dive in to a generous slice of homemade pie to celebrate. We've selected a recipe with a bit of a twist on the classic, incorporating an almond crisp topping. The result is toasty and delicious. 

Almond Crumble Cherry Pie

Ingredients

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup rolled oats
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 pounds cherries, pitted
½ lemon, juiced
⅓ cup white sugar, or more to taste
¼ cup cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Roll out pie crust and lay into a 9-inch pie pan.
3. Combine almonds, brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Work butter into the almond mixture with your fingers, breaking up any large pieces, until incorporated completely. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
4. Combine cherries, lemon juice, white sugar, and cornstarch. Stir until well coated and no dry lumps remain, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Pour cherries and any accumulated juices into the prepared pie pan. Press down into the pan. Crumble oat mixture over the top. Place the pan on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until cherries are bubbling and the crust and crumble topping are browned, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Original recipe from All Recipes

Here's a few tips to make your celebration of this ruby-red pie the best it can be:

• Look for tart cherries, like Morello, Bing, or Montmorency
• Use a store-bought pie crust (the cherries are the star of the show anyway!)
• Top your pie with Vanilla Bean ice cream
• Do some tasting to figue out your favorite wine pairing. We recommend our Cielo Viola for its jammy, fruit-forward qualities and notes of sweet cherries. If you want to skip the pie and go straight for the wine, we'll never tell!

We'd love to see how your recipes turn out. Feel free to share if you've got a favroite wine to pair with your pie! If you celebrate this delicious holiday, make sure to tag us on social media @rubyhillwines and let us know!