Easy as Bing Cherry Pie

There is such a thing as an easy cherry pie recipe, the California Cherry Advisory Board's 'Easy as Bing Cherry Pie' is as simple as it gets—with foolproof, delicious results.

Recipe Ingredients:

Crust:
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust (or your favorite homemade pastry crust)

Pie Filling:
5 cups fresh California Bing cherries, pitted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon tapioca flour

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Vanilla ice cream for accompaniment (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. For Crust: A wide selection of pre-made pie crusts is available in the refrigerator or frozen section of your local grocery store. Most will come in an oven-safe aluminum pie pan. (Note: It is a good idea to place the pan on a cookie sheet for stability while assembling and then place in the oven.)
2. Pit cherries. Fresh Bing cherries must be pitted for this recipe. And, since you'll need 5 cups, this step is the most time-consuming in the process. However, a simple cherry pitting device can likely be purchased at your grocery store and will do the job quite nicely. Make sure to wear an apron in case you splatter juice. If you have young children around, they may enjoy helping to pit the cherries. More hands will make the job go much faster, but it is recommended taking this activity outside.
3. For Filling: Combine the pitted cherries in a bowl with sugar and tapioca flour. Mix well and spoon into the prepared pie crust.
4. For Topping: Technically, a pie with a crumb topping is called a crisp. But those who eat this dish will love it so much they won't care what it's called. Simply combine the remaining ingredients - oats, sugar, flour, softened butter, cinnamon and salt - into a small bowl and mix until evenly distributed and crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the filling.
5. Place in the oven and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly and browned on top. Allow to cool to room temperature. Top each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of www.calcherry.com; through ARA Content.