• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8x8 square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, making sure to have enough hanging over the edges to easily remove it as a whole, later.

To make the crust:

• Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (You can also do this in a bowl with a hand mixer.) Add flour and salt; mix on low speed until dough forms clumps but does not completely hold together (will look like large, coarse crumbs.) Press 2 1/2 cups of this mixture into bottom of the pan and up the sides about an inch.

To make the filling:

• Stir together cherries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Pour into crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumbly flour mixture evenly over top, squeezing to create clumps. Bake about 1 hour, until filling is bubbly and top is nicely browned. If you find it is browning too quickly, you can cover the top loosely with foil. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares.