We Have a small cherry tree in the garden.
Most years the birds eat the cherries long before they're ripe enough to pick. And for the last few years it's not fruited well anyway.
THIS year it went berserk, even better the garden's current generation of birds don't seem to like or eat cherries
I think in the last week I've picked about 10lb of cherries from the tree.
Eat a bunch, gave a bunch away, had a cherry milkshake (surprisingly good) and just had to make an industrial sized cherry pie :-)
I'm also going to stone and freeze about 3lb or so.
The recipe
Ingredients
For the filling
Approx 3lb de-stoned cherries
4 tbs vanilla sugar
2-3 shots vanilla vodka
2 tbs plain flour
1 tbs corn flour
For the Pastry
8oz unsalted butter
8oz plain flour
8oz self rising flour
1 tsp grated nutmeg
3 tbs sugar substitute granulated sweetener
pinch of salt.
DO THESE PARTS THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE PIE.
In a large bowl mix up the cherries and rest of filling ingredients. Cover tightly with clingfilm and place in fridge overnight.
Next make the pastry (still on the night before you intend to cook the pie).
1)
2)
The Next Day...
Get yourself a good sized lasagna dish. Mine is 12 1/2 x 10 x 2
Remove the pastry from the fridge and seperate into equal thirds.
2/3 are for the dish lining and the remaining 1/3 is for the lid.
Now I don't have a big enough marble slab to roll out the lining in one piece. So I cheated and did it in 2 smaller pieces. As long as you stick it together with plenty of beaten egg and smooth out the seam - it makes bugger all difference :-)
I managed to roll out the lid in a single piece, but if you can't - do it in 2.
Right once you've got the dish lined and rolled out the lid.
Put the oven on. For the first 10 mins you want it about 400 f (gas mark 6)
Then for the next 40 mins reduce to 350 (gas mark 4) until done.
It will work best if it goes intoa hot oven.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cherries from the bowl into the lined dish.
Once you've crimped the lid, cut a small cross in the centre to release steam and brush the top thoroughly with the beaten egg.
Then get your meat injector and inject the liquid from the cherry bowl into the pie (ya didn't think I was going to waste vanilla vodka did you ?), spread the liquid evenly over the whole pie with 6-8 injection sites.
Once done sprinkle about 1 tsp sugar over the top of the pie.
Cook the pie in the centre of the oven. First ten minutes at 400 (to set the pastry) and then for 40 minutes at 350 to cook the filling.
It should end up looking like this:
Now this pie is designed to be eaten in cold slices (with whipped cream if you've got it). So leave it to cool and let the liquid be reabsorbed by the cherries. Once cool, put in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set. Longer you leave it - the better it will slice. Use a very sharp knife to cut it into sections - I'm aiming for around 18 pieces.
I've just eaten that corner bit on the right - Bloody brilliant
Most years the birds eat the cherries long before they're ripe enough to pick. And for the last few years it's not fruited well anyway.
THIS year it went berserk, even better the garden's current generation of birds don't seem to like or eat cherries
I think in the last week I've picked about 10lb of cherries from the tree.
Eat a bunch, gave a bunch away, had a cherry milkshake (surprisingly good) and just had to make an industrial sized cherry pie :-)
I'm also going to stone and freeze about 3lb or so.
The recipe
Ingredients
For the filling
Approx 3lb de-stoned cherries
4 tbs vanilla sugar
2-3 shots vanilla vodka
2 tbs plain flour
1 tbs corn flour
For the Pastry
8oz unsalted butter
8oz plain flour
8oz self rising flour
1 tsp grated nutmeg
3 tbs sugar substitute granulated sweetener
pinch of salt.
DO THESE PARTS THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE PIE.
In a large bowl mix up the cherries and rest of filling ingredients. Cover tightly with clingfilm and place in fridge overnight.
Next make the pastry (still on the night before you intend to cook the pie).
1)
2)
The Next Day...
Get yourself a good sized lasagna dish. Mine is 12 1/2 x 10 x 2
Remove the pastry from the fridge and seperate into equal thirds.
2/3 are for the dish lining and the remaining 1/3 is for the lid.
Now I don't have a big enough marble slab to roll out the lining in one piece. So I cheated and did it in 2 smaller pieces. As long as you stick it together with plenty of beaten egg and smooth out the seam - it makes bugger all difference :-)
I managed to roll out the lid in a single piece, but if you can't - do it in 2.
Right once you've got the dish lined and rolled out the lid.
Put the oven on. For the first 10 mins you want it about 400 f (gas mark 6)
Then for the next 40 mins reduce to 350 (gas mark 4) until done.
It will work best if it goes intoa hot oven.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cherries from the bowl into the lined dish.
Once you've crimped the lid, cut a small cross in the centre to release steam and brush the top thoroughly with the beaten egg.
Then get your meat injector and inject the liquid from the cherry bowl into the pie (ya didn't think I was going to waste vanilla vodka did you ?), spread the liquid evenly over the whole pie with 6-8 injection sites.
Once done sprinkle about 1 tsp sugar over the top of the pie.
Cook the pie in the centre of the oven. First ten minutes at 400 (to set the pastry) and then for 40 minutes at 350 to cook the filling.
It should end up looking like this:
Now this pie is designed to be eaten in cold slices (with whipped cream if you've got it). So leave it to cool and let the liquid be reabsorbed by the cherries. Once cool, put in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set. Longer you leave it - the better it will slice. Use a very sharp knife to cut it into sections - I'm aiming for around 18 pieces.
I've just eaten that corner bit on the right - Bloody brilliant
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