Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For crust: Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Unfold phyllo dough; place one sheet of the phyllo dough on a clean work surface. (As you work, cover the remaining phyllo dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.) Coat the phyllo sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Top with a second sheet of the phyllo dough. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Gently press into the pie plate, allowing ends to extend over edge of plate. Coat and layer another two sheets of the phyllo dough; place across phyllo in plate in a crisscross fashion. Coat and layer the last two sheets of the phyllo dough; place at an angle over phyllo sheets in plate to completely cover the edge of the plate. Turn under some of the edges of the phyllo dough to form a somewhat even edge.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, for filling: In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cherries. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in almond extract. Cool completely, stirring occasionally. Pour into cooled phyllo crust. Serve within 2 hours of filling.

To serve, top cherry filling with almonds. To make chocolate curls, draw a vegetable peeler across the narrow side of the chocolate. Arrange chocolate curls on the pie.

We do not recommend sugar substitutes for this recipe.

Do not thaw frozen cherries, if using.