Last Updated on July 17, 2025 by Lisa Keys
This award winning sweet and sour cherry pie is a mix of traditional and Asian influences. This comforting dessert with a touch of warming 5 spice, ginger ale in the crust and a crispy panko crumble feels a bit foreign, but still tastes like home. Before we bake some grief and mom advice.
Navigating grief
Sudden death complicates grief because it silences final conversations. You lose the chance to say "sorry," "I love you," "thank you," or anything else you needed to express. If I could offer one piece of advice about unfinished business, it would be to forgive yourself and speak to your loved one now. They are listening.
William and I navigated difficult high school years. We often clashed. The truth is, I was an over protective nag who didn't choose my battles wisely. I clearly didn't understand his military dream. My instincts, which only a parent like me could truly grasp, led me to protect him from himself because no one else would.
Can't change a leopard's spots
At 17, he could sign that enlisted dotted line, and it made no sense to me. I wanted him to take more time to grow up and attend college. He was smart, with his whole life ahead of him. Wouldn't a college education, a bit more age, and an officer's commission improve his life? Like my father, I was determined to offer my children the best education I could. So, he went off to one of the best high schools in the country. Surely, I thought, he would change his mind and aspire to higher education like his peers.
OK, I admit I was wrong. William flourished socially and athletically, but he only did just enough academically. At that time in his life, he simply wasn't interested in math, science, or thoughts of college. I mistakenly believed I could change that. When I think about all those times I was breathing down his neck about homework, or getting upset over grades, or him not living up to expectations, it saddens me. I wasted so much precious time instead of seeing that the road less traveled was the perfect path for him.
Proud Moment
William graduated Valedictorian (OMG) of his navy corpsman class. There never was a doubt in my mind that when he loved something he could and would do it better than anyone else. His Navy mission is what he loved. I finally came to grips with that. I apologized for being the nag. Yes, I admitted I was wrong. Finally, he understood my fears. I understood his dreams. These were the best words ever spoken, in addition to, "I love you no matter what."
Don't let the sour moments cloud all the good. Let them go. Where there is love there is forgiveness.
Now, forgive me for sharing this most delicious sour cherry pie because I am not certain that sour cherries are readily available right now. You can find them frozen or jarred. Or, tuck it away for when you want to celebrate one of our great military leaders, George Washington, come February.
Sour Cherry Pie Filling
Nothing is simpler than making this sour cherry pie filling. All you do is drain the cherries reserving ¼ cup. Stir the almond extract into the reserved liquid as it helps distribute the flavor more evenly. Then, just toss the cherries with all the filling ingredients. That is it. No cooking steps involved for this easy delicious filling.
Helpful tips for making pie dough
Sour Cherry Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chilled leaf lard or shortening
- ¼ cup unsalted cold butter
- 4 to 6 tablespoons chilled ginger-ale
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Filling
- 3 (24 oz.) jars pitted sour cherries (6 cups)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon Asian 5 spice powder
Crumble
- ⅓ cup quick cooking oats
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup chopped almonds
- ⅓ packed cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon Asian 5 spice powder
- ⅓ cup butter
Instructions
- For crust blend flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in lard or shortening and butter with a pastry blender until mixture forms pea-sized crumbs. With a fork, stir in just enough ginger-ale until dough holds together. Divide dough into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other, wrap and chill while preparing filling and crumble.
- Drain liquid from cherries reserving ¼ cup. Place cherries in large mixing bowl. Add almond extract to reserved cherry liquid; pour over cherries in bowl. Mix sugar, cornstarch and 5 spice powder; blend well. Sprinkle sugar mixture over cherries and gently fold to combine; set aside.
- For crumble, in a medium bowl, mix oats, panko, almonds, brown sugar, flour and 5 spice powder; cut in butter till mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Heat oven to 500F.
- On lightly floured board roll out larger disk of dough to fit a 9-inch pie dish; ease crust into pie dish.
- Pour cherry filling into crust. Sprinkle crumble evenly over cherries.
- Roll out remaining dough and cut into strips. Weave strips over top of pie forming a lattice. Press ends of strips into crust rim. Fold bottom pastry over strips; seal and crimp edge.
- Brush the lattice crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Place pie on a baking sheet. Place pie in oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 425F. Bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until filling bubbles and crust is golden brown.
- Cool. Garnish with a few fresh cherries, if desired.
Cathy
I love this, Lisa. I am getting the essence of William's life and the soul of your relationship with him. Peace and Hope resonate throughout this post...
lisakeys64
Glad you are getting to know us just a little bit more.
Louis Matino (@LouMatino)
I also tried my best to convince him that college after high school made a lot more sense for someone in his position. He wasn't having any of it.
Thanks for the advice - great stuff as usual.
lisakeys64
He had a mind of his own.
Jennifer
Lisa, this project that you have begun, and all of the love you have put, and are putting into it, is something that makes a deep impression on so many lives in addition to your own. You are so wonderful, and as Will's English teacher, I can tell you that he loved every minute with his family and peers, that he wrote some great stuff in my class, and that he just needed more freedom than a boarding school could offer. From your great love as a parent and wife to your always marvelous recipes, you are an inspired woman. I am so glad that I know you. On my end, I think and read and cook and ultimately share in your experiences on the other end, as audience. 🙂
lisakeys64
Jen, I am so glad to know you are sharing this journey. I have a whole new appreciation for teachers like you who not only teach writing, but have mastered the craft as well. Writing from the heart seems to work and I apologize for my fragmented phrases and poor grammar ( lol). You will be pleased to know that in our most difficult conversations William told me that Taft wasn't such a bad place after all. He appreciated the study skills and the intelligence that surrounded him there. He wanted to become a physician assistant and was now ready for college when he was killed. He had applications to University of Md and Wake Forest on his computer.
Kate Carter
You reminded me why we do our work...lifechronicles.org - it is our honor to record people saying what they need to say before it is too late...we actually offer our services posthumously so people can tell stories of a person after they are gone...sending you love...
lisakeys64
Thanks for taking the time to write. Your organization sounds so interesting and your volunteers who help preserve people's stories is important work. I would have loved to have captured my grandmothers' in their kitchens.