Average Jane Makes Dessert

I haven't made this lately, but it's a recipe that my sister and I both remember fondly from childhood. Judging by the ingredients, I'm imagining it made its debut either in a magazine ad or a branded cookbook. For something that relies heavily on packaged goods, it's quite tasty - a good mixture of sweet cream, savory pecans and tart cherries.

For some reason, my mom's old recipe file was just chock-full of desserts with the word "torte" in their names, none of which actually fit the definition of a torte. Maybe it was some kind of early 1960s trend. Who knows? Anyway, this is one of them:

Cherry Torte

1 can tart red pie cherries (drained)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand)
1/2 pint Cool Whip
1 cup chopped pecans
Juice and pulp of one lemon
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Melt butter, add to graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Press crumb mixture into bottom and sides of a standard pie pan, saving about a tablespoonful for garnish. Mix together lemon juice and pulp and cherries. Add sweetened condensed milk, Cool Whip and pecans and stir gently to combine. Pour mixture into pie crust and garnish with crumb mixture. Chill for several hours.

Comments

[Jenny]

My mom made something like this too, but with chocolate pudding. It was wonderful and gross at the same time, and I've been too embarrassed to bring it back out into the light. Maybe this Thanksgiving, when nobody's looking!

[Ronnica]

That looks easy! I'm not into complicated desserts. I am making a couple of pumpkin pies this weekend for a Thanksgiving gathering with friends, but I'm totally going to cheat and not make the crusts from scratch.