Sunday Bake | Cherry Pie

Ohhhh my, American Pie. Theres nothing that makes me feel more like a Southern housewife than whipping up something in my pie plate. This was my first attempt at a fruit pie though, as generally speaking I don't like cooked fruit. I wish I did though, and I thought cooked cherries might be a good way to try and change my taste buds!

I used Edd Kimber's recipe from Say it With Cake, which I've mentioned on here before - such a good book! It was a really good recipe too; really easy to follow and wasn't a faff at all. My biggest worry in making this was the pastry, I'm usually the worlds worst at pastry. If I were to ever go on Bake Off, pastry week would absolutely be my downfall. But for once, I actually succeeded!! SO happy!

So for those who want to imagine themselves in the mid-west popping round to the neighbours with a pie, here is the recipe:

Ingredients
- 200g caster sugar
- 800g pitted or frozen cherries (I used frozen - they're cheaper!)
- Zest and jucie of 1 lemon
- 45g cornflour
- 400g plain flour
- 1tsp salt
- 2tbsp caster sugar
- 200g unsalted butter (diced and chilled)
- 100-125ml ice-cold water
- 1 medium egg, beaten with 1tbsp water

Recipe
1. Put the sugar, 600g of the cherries and the lemon zest into a large pan over medium heat. Put the cornflour and lemon juice into a small bowl and mix to form a smooth paste. As the cherries begin to release their juice, add this paste to the pan and cook the cherries gently, stirring, until the juice comes to the boil. Cook, stirring, for a few more minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the reserved cherries. Set aside to cool while you make the pastry.

2. Put the flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the chilled butter and pulse until it forms small chunks, just under the size of a pea. Slowly add the water while pulsing the food processor until the pastry holds together when squeezed. Tip the dough onto the work surface and gently knead together. Divide into two balls, one a little larger than the other. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the larger piece of pastry, until it is large enough to line a 23cm pie plate. Gently roll the pastry around your rolling pin, and then drape it over the pie plate. Press the dough into the plate and then trim the excess leaving a 2.5cm overhang. Take the second piece of pastry and roll out as before. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into strips 2.5cm thick. Put the pie plate and the strips of pastry into the fridge for 15 minutes to let the pastry rest.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6. Remove the pie plate and strips of pastry from the fridge and tip the filling into the prepared base. Brush the edge of the pie and the overhang with a little egg and water wash, and then lay half the pastry strips over the pie. I then laid the remaining half at a 90-degree angle from the first half, weaving them in and out. You can just lay them on top if you want a simpler look however. Then brush all strips with the egg and water wash.

5. To finish the pie, fold the pastry overhang so that it sits on the rim of the plate and covers the edges of the pastry strips. To crimp the pie, pinch together the thumb and forefinger of one hand against the edge of the pie crust and, using the index finger of the other, press the pastry together along the top edge to form a simple scallop. Scatter sugar over the lattice to create a caramelised golden finish. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.
(recipe adapted from Say it with Cake by Edd Kimber)

Let me know if you try the recipe out! :)

Aimée
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