sour cherry pie

Nothing says Fourth of July like sour cherry pie. 

I never liked cherry pie as a kid, but then we became friends with the Kemp family. They had several sour cherry trees growing in their backyard, and one summer we went over to help them pick. After days of picking, or in the midst of it since the cherries are so fragile, Mrs. Kemp would make dozens of sour cherry pies. Oh, my goodness. There is nothing like it in the world. Her secret? One-quarter teaspoon of almond extract.

This year the problem was finding sour cherries. The only orchard I know of that grows them has a new reservation system and they were totally booked. But then I got a tip from a friend who created Modern Gingham Preserves. She forages for a lot of her produce, and she sent me over to a local church that has about six big cherry trees. I knocked on the door, asked if I could pick, and they said yes. 

I made one regular pie, one with an almond streusel top, and a tiny one for the kids in a patty pan pie plate Carol got me years ago. Then, some buttermilk vanilla bean ice cream to go with it. (It may sound weird, but trust me, this stuff is out of control. For what's it's worth, I used six egg yolks instead of twelve.) Add fireworks and "The Star-Spangled Banner" and it's the Fourth of July!