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3
August
Old-Fashioned Cherry and Vanilla Pie
Old-Fashioned Cherry and Vanilla Pie
Ingredients
- 1kg Fresh Cherries (any type)
- juice Half a lemon
- 125g Caster Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Cold Water
- 2 tablespoons Cornflour
- 2 tablespoons Cold Water
- 1 Vanilla Pod
Directions
1. | Stone the cherries, then place in a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice and toss. Put to one side |
2. | Put the caster sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a large heavy-based pan and heat gently over a low heat until the sugar melts |
3. | Without stiring, turn the heat up and cook until the mixture browns to a rich caramel colour |
4. | Add the cherries to the sugar mixture. The sugar will seize and turn into brittle toffee, but keep stirring. As the fruit releases its juices, the sugar will dissolve again |
5. | Slit the vanilla pod down one side, and scrape out the seeds and add to the cherries. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is softened and you have a rich dark coloured compote |
6. | Mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water until you have a runny paste. Add this to the cherries and continue to cook until the mixture thickens to a soft jam consistency, then turn off the heat and leave to cool |
7. | Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 6 / 200°C / 400°F |
8. | Roll out your pastry crust and line the bottom of a 8"(20cm) or 9"(23cm) pie dish, and trim the edges |
9. | Put the filling in the pie dish, then cover with the rest of the pastry or form a lattice |
10. | Brush the crust with a little egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar |
11. | Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. If necessary, cover the top with some greaseproof paper to prevent from burning |
12. | Serve warm with some good vanilla ice-cream or chantilly cream |
Note
If you want to make this extra decadent, you can add a tablespoon of kirsch or cherry brandy to the cherries.