Cherry pie
A classic pie that is easily made with frozen cherries at any time of year. The pastry is quite short and crumbly, so can be a little tricky to handle, but Benjamina will take you through the steps.
For this recipe you will need a 20cm/8in pie dish.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 600g/1lb 5oz pitted frozen dark cherries
- 45²µ/1¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour (or 1 tbsp arrowroot)
- 15²µ/½´Ç³ú butter
For the pastry
- 225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- pinch salt
- 120g/4¼oz fridge-cold butter, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 free-range egg, beaten with 2 tsp very cold water
To finish
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- cream, ice cream or custard, to serve
Method
To make the filling, place the cherries and caster sugar in a saucepan and heat gently over a low heat. No water is needed as the cherries will give off liquid as they cook. Increase the heat and cook until the cherries have softened but still hold their shape. Mix the cornflour and a tablespoon water into a paste in a small bowl. Add this to the pan and cook for a minute or two until the filling is thick and bubbling. Remove from the heat, beat in the butter and set aside to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the pastry, put the flour and salt in a food processor and add the butter. Using the pulse function, whizz just until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs (take care not to over process or your pastry will be tough). Add the icing sugar and briefly pulse again to mix. Add the beaten egg mixture and pulse briefly to mix to a rough dough. (If making the pastry by hand go to step 4.)
Tip the pastry out onto the work surface, and using your hands, lightly bring the dough together into a ball and wrap in cling film or place in a plastic container to chill for about 20–30 minutes (this prevents pastry shrinkage later on).
If making the pastry by hand, put the flour into a large bowl. Coarsely grate the butter using a box grater and add to the flour. Coat the butter in the flour by lightly mixing it with your fingers. Using your fingertips, lightly rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar and salt. Using a table knife, stir in the beaten egg mixture to make a rough dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured board and bring together into a ball. Wrap and rest in the fridge as above.
After chilling, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cut off about a third of the pastry and set aside. Bring the rest together into a ball and roll out into a circle that is about 4mm/â…›in thick. Fold the pastry over the rolling pin and gently unroll it into a 20cm/8in pie dish. Trim the edges and, ideally, cover with cling film or foil and chill again for another 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Pour the cold cherry filling into the pastry-lined dish. Roll out the remaining pastry into a disc that is big enough to cover the pie.
Brush the edges of the pastry case with the beaten egg and lay the pastry lid on top. Crimp the lid and the base together using your thumb and index finger, working all around the edge to seal. Brush the top of the pastry with more egg and sprinkle with caster sugar. Slit the lid with a couple of slashes to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 35–40 minutes until golden and crisp. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving with cream, ice cream or custard.