Sour Cherry Pecan Crisp
Last year, there was a bit of a debate on my Facebook page. I asked if a cherry tree was technically on someone’s property but in a gray area (it is outside the fence and on the public parkway – meaning it is not within the yard but it is still considered land the homeowners have to manage by the city), would people feel comfortable taking some cherries?
Given the fact that I can no longer find this conversation, I probably deleted it because, big surprise, it got ugly. And also because, big surprise again, people have Big Feelings on this topic. Some think of it as nothing short of theft; others thought it was stupid to even ask. Just take the cherries. It was not just a thought experiment: There was an actual cherry tree I’d noticed a few blocks away and I happen to love cherries. These are sour cherries, not usually the ones that are thought of with cherry desserts, but beggars can’t be choosers and I am happy with either.
Meanwhile, it was well into July, past their “use by” date, and the cherries were going bad. (The flies were happy!) It was decided through this conversation with my hive mind that I didn’t feel comfortable taking cherries without asking so I would put a little letter in their mailbox, asking if they minded if I picked some cherries. I offered to give them some money or jam in return and I put down my cell number. A week or so later, I got a text back: Sure, take some cherries! They didn’t need anything. By that point, though, the cherries had gone bad. The flies weren’t even interested then. I texted back, asking if they minded if I reached out earlier next year and they said sure. And, of course, I saved this number under the name “Cherry Tree.”
This spring, I have been stalking the cherry tree, watching the branches turn from pretty flowers, to little nubs to fruit, and I reached out again. Remember me? They were as gracious as they were last year, told me to go for it, so that is what we have here. I have been eyeballing that tree and my cherry pitter all year for this occasion. It was game time!
Sunday morning, I picked a bunch of cherries and washed them. Sunday afternoon, I thought of recipe ideas. Monday, I pitted them and created my recipe. Here you go!
Please note, sour cherries, also referred to as tart cherries, are, well, sour, so not your typical sweet cherry. If you want to swap them, that is fine, but you will not need as much sweetener. You can probably do the same thing with frozen cherries, slightly defrosted but still holding their shape. This crisp is just sweet enough, juicy and complemented with a generous, rich and crunchy streusel topping.
½ cup vegan granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
½ cup almond flour or similar flour
½ cup unsalted pecans, coarsely chopped, or unsalted chopped nuts of your preference, like almonds or pistachios
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons room temperature vegan butter or refined coconut oil
¼ cup pure maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9-inch baking dish, mix together the cherries and cornstarch to coat, then the sugar, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and pinch of salt. Stir gently to coat again.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almond flour and chopped pecans. You can do this with your hands or a large spoon. Add the pinch of salt, the remaining cinnamon and nutmeg along with the cardamom, and stir to combine. Add the vanilla, vegan butter or coconut oil along with the maple syrup. Stir with a large spoon until it is moistened throughout. It will be thick and a little crumbly.
Sprinkle the oat mixture over the cherries with your fingers, breaking up large clumps and distributing evenly. It’s pretty when some cherries can be seen through the crisp topping so there is no need to cover it entirely.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the topping is golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Best served warm with vanilla vegan ice cream!
Last year, there was a bit of a debate on my Facebook page. I asked if a cherry tree was technically on someone’s property but in a gray area (it is outside the fence and on the public parkway – meaning it is not within the yard but it is still considered land the homeowners have to manage by the city), would people feel comfortable taking some cherries?
Given the fact that I can no longer find this conversation, I probably deleted it because, big surprise, it got ugly. And also because, big surprise again, people have Big Feelings on this topic. Some think of it as nothing short of theft; others thought it was stupid to even ask. Just take the cherries. It was not just a thought experiment: There was an actual cherry tree I’d noticed a few blocks away and I happen to love cherries. These are sour cherries, not usually the ones that are thought of with cherry desserts, but beggars can’t be choosers and I am happy with either.
Meanwhile, it was well into July, past their “use by” date, and the cherries were going bad. (The flies were happy!) It was decided through this conversation with my hive mind that I didn’t feel comfortable taking cherries without asking so I would put a little letter in their mailbox, asking if they minded if I picked some cherries. I offered to give them some money or jam in return and I put down my cell number. A week or so later, I got a text back: Sure, take some cherries! They didn’t need anything. By that point, though, the cherries had gone bad. The flies weren’t even interested then. I texted back, asking if they minded if I reached out earlier next year and they said sure. And, of course, I saved this number under the name “Cherry Tree.”
This spring, I have been stalking the cherry tree, watching the branches turn from pretty flowers, to little nubs to fruit, and I reached out again. Remember me? They were as gracious as they were last year, told me to go for it, so that is what we have here. I have been eyeballing that tree and my cherry pitter all year for this occasion. It was game time!
Sunday morning, I picked a bunch of cherries and washed them. Sunday afternoon, I thought of recipe ideas. Monday, I pitted them and created my recipe. Here you go!
Please note, sour cherries, also referred to as tart cherries, are, well, sour, so not your typical sweet cherry. If you want to swap them, that is fine, but you will not need as much sweetener. You can probably do the same thing with frozen cherries, slightly defrosted but still holding their shape. This crisp is just sweet enough, juicy and complemented with a generous, rich and crunchy streusel topping.
½ cup vegan granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
½ cup almond flour or similar flour
½ cup unsalted pecans, coarsely chopped, or unsalted chopped nuts of your preference, like almonds or pistachios
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons room temperature vegan butter or refined coconut oil
¼ cup pure maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9-inch baking dish, mix together the cherries and cornstarch to coat, then the sugar, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and pinch of salt. Stir gently to coat again.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almond flour and chopped pecans. You can do this with your hands or a large spoon. Add the pinch of salt, the remaining cinnamon and nutmeg along with the cardamom, and stir to combine. Add the vanilla, vegan butter or coconut oil along with the maple syrup. Stir with a large spoon until it is moistened throughout. It will be thick and a little crumbly.
Sprinkle the oat mixture over the cherries with your fingers, breaking up large clumps and distributing evenly. It’s pretty when some cherries can be seen through the crisp topping so there is no need to cover it entirely.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the topping is golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Best served warm with vanilla vegan ice cream!
Vegan, Recipe, Salt, Seasoned Salt, Seasoning, Condiment, Chive, Chive Blossom, Onion