Sour Cream Cherry Pie: creamy, crunchy, deliciously different

Valentine's Day, President's Day, George Washington's birthday -- no matter the holiday, if it's February, you won't go wrong with a cherry pie.

This version is deliciously different. The filling has a lot in common with cheesecake, although this recipe is made with sour cream instead of cream cheese. Cherries are suspended throughout the sweet, creamy filling, and a crunchy, nutty streusel tops everything off. You'll get a variety of flavors and textures in every bite.

CHERRY SOUR CREAM PIE

Yield: 8 servings

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell 

For filling:
1 cup light sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 (24-ounce) jar pitted sweet cherries in light syrup, drained, or about 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries

For topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate; flute the edges. 

Prepare filling: Combine sour cream, 2 tablespoons flour, 3/4 cup sugar, almond extract, salt and egg in mixing bowl. Stir until smooth. Gently stir in cherries. Spoon filling into pastry shell; smooth top with spatula. Bake on center oven shelf for 25 minutes, covering the edges with foil or a pie shield if needed to prevent overbrowning.

Prepare topping: Stir together 1/4 cup flour and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Add butter. Using a fork, two table knives, a pastry blender or your hands, mix until small crumbs form. Stir in almonds. 

Sprinkle almond mixture evenly over top of partially baked pie. Return to the oven; bake until topping is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. 

Let pie cool to room temperature. Pie can be kept at cool room temperature 4 to 5 hours, or it can be chilled.

Adapted from a recipe for blueberry pie by cookbook author Betty Rosbottom.