cheesecake pie with cherry topping
from Pie, by Ken Haedrich

pie crust:

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
big pinch salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

cheesecake filling:

9 oz cream cheese1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

cherry topping:

3 cups individually frozen pitted sweet cherries (not packed in syrup) – or use fresh cherries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

whipped cream for garnish

To make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9 1/2-inch deep dish pie pan. Combine the nuts, brown sugar, and flour in a food processor and process in a number of long bursts until the nuts are very finely chopped. Dump the mixture into a large bowl. Run your fingers through them, breaking up any bigger pieces the machine may have missed. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and incorporate well. Mix first with a fork, then with your hands, and rub everything together thoroughly to form evenly dampened crumbs. Spread the crumbs evenly and loosely in the pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes. Place on the center oven rack and bake for 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before filling. Leave the oven set at 350.

In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer, gradually beating in the sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until evenly blended. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract and blend. Carefully pour the filling into the cooled pie shell.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until the center of the filling is set, 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.

About an hour before serving, make the cherry topping. Combine the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium size nonreactive pan. Cover and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially uncover, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. While the cherries simmer, blend the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, then stir the mixture into the cherries. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.

Spoon the cooled cherries evenly over the chilled filling. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If desire, pipe some whipped cream decoratively around the edge of the pie, using any remaining whipped cream for garnish. Slice and serve.