Thanksgiving in Deutschland + A Recipe

For Thanksgiving, we got gigantic Schntizel at Bei Oma Kleinmann's and ended our feast with a sour cherry galette. Galettes are basically the lazy person's pie, which was perfect since (a) I have no pie pan and (2) one pie is way too much for two people! Sour cherries (Sauerkirschen) are found in a lot of German desserts, including Schwartz Wald Kirsch Torte (aka, Black Forest Cake) and on top of waffles with a side of whipped cream.

Sauerkirsch Galette
1 pie crust
4 cups sour cherries (in juice if canned)
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or sugar
pinch salt
squirt of lemon juice
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Make the crust according to the directions, making it at least 2 hours before you want to bake the pie. 
2. After rolling out the pie crust to fit your pan, lay the crust in the pan, but don't crimp or cut the edges as you'll be folding them over later. Put the pan in the fridge while you make the filling.
3. If the cherries are canned, drain and reserve the juice. In a medium bowl, mix the cherries, 1/4 cup of the reserved juice, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice and let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken.
4. Scoop the cherry filling into the prepared pan, spreading them evenly. Dump some of the remaining juice over the top, about enough to come halfway up the cherries (there may be some leftover juice).
5. Fold the crust edges over the filling. Brush the crust with the egg white, and sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top.
6. Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let it cool a bit, then served with whipped cream!

Germany is already in the full-on Christmas spirit, so we ate our Thanksgiving feast with red-and-green all around and this fine fellow to keep us company. I'll be posting about the Christmas markets and a few other things soon, but in the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving aus Deutschland!