Our lovely seasonal bellysister, Alison Drover, is wearing her very loving and very waste free Miss February apron with matching bikini today, and we welcome episode one of Mullumbimby baking legend Deanna Sudmal’s pastry making series to the belly kitchen. We are starting super easy with shortcrust, and even playing with store-bought pastry. Is it enough to tempt you to try making your first ever pie for someone you love?
Deanna's Cherry Pie
Recipes and tips below by Deanna Sudmals
CHERRY PIE
1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry for double crust pie (see related recipe)
4 cups fresh pitted cherries
¾ cup white sugar
2 ½ tbsp arrowroot (tapioca) flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of half a lemon
One egg, beaten
Place a baking tray in the oven, and pre-heat to 200 degrees.
Mix cherries, sugar, arrowroot, vanilla and lemon juice in a large bowl and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Roll out bottom crust of pie and place in pie dish.
Baste inside of pie with beaten egg. Fill pie with cherry filling.
Now get creative: for Valentines day, I cut out small heart shapes in the rolled out top crust with a small cookie cutter to allow the pie to vent. You can also vent the pie using a knife or fork, can cut a hole in the centre of the pie, or if you are feeling really creative, you can make a lattice top to your pie by covering it with strips of pastry in a criss cross pattern. Crimp the edges of the pie using either your fingers, or making indentations with a fork around the outside of the pie.
Brush the entire top crust with beaten egg.
Place the pie in the oven on top of the hot baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees and cook for a further 25 to 30 minutes or until the pie is golden and the cherry filling is bubbling. Allow to cool completely before serving. Really nice with vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy!
SHORTCRUST PASTRY TIPS
•Don’t overwork the dough. Mix until just together.
•Place on a preheated tray in oven to firm up the crust.
•Make sure to keep butter cold and mix with ice cold water.
•If making pastry by hand, remember that your hands are warm (the finger tips are the coolest part of the hand) so mix quickly with fingertips to avoid butter getting warm
•Chill for at least half hour and then take out of fridge to relax a bit before rolling.
•Make sure your surface is clean and well floured.
•When blind baking make sure you prick the base with fork so it doesn’t rise up.
•Roll in one direction only and then flip.
•Bring up pastry on rolling pin and lay on tray, leaving a bit extra to allow for shrinkage
•If you want to change the amount of pastry (more or less) remember the ratio is half butter to flour
•For a fruit pie that contains moisture (eg. Apple pie) baste the inside of the bottom crust to ensure the finished pie does not become soggy
•Glazing the finished pastry with a beaten egg gives a nice shiny golden appearance
BASIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY
300g flour
150g cold butter cubed
4-6 tbsp ice water
For a savoury pastry: add a pinch of salt
For a sweet shortcrust pastry, add 2 tbsp icing sugar
Blend flour, salt or icing sugar and butter in food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Slowly add ice water and pulse until just combined. Using hands, gently knead together until pastry comes together in a ball. Separate into two portions, flatten into disks, cover in cling film and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out.
NOTE: be careful not to over work the pastry or it will become tough.
If you do not have a food processor you can make the pastry by hand by using your finger tips to squash the butter in with the flour, working quickly to ensure the butter stays cold. This process can also be done by “cutting in” the butter using two butter knives. Note: the pastry will not be as smooth done by hand as the food processor method, as with the food processor the butter has been cut through the flour more evenly.
Make sure you tune in to Bayfm on the first Monday in March for more delicious Easy as Pie – shortcrust.
Miss February’s Seasonal Bounty
words by Alison Drover
Passionate Miss February! Loving not wasting….
VALENTINES DAY
We love food that is why we listen to Belly but we are all guilty of wasting food as well. Be inspired by being thrifty – help save the planet with every mouthful visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com to see how you can help. Also http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/.
Email us with your recipes for using left overs. (belly(at)belly(dot)net(dot)au)
Passionfruits on the vines hanging glory to be used. I can see my Mum whisking wildly on the floor surrounded by dishes at one of the many dinner parties making passionfruit flummery with real cream drizzled over it.
The bowl was a air spun glass bowl which I still have and is reserved for my flummeries.
SEASONAL IN NSW
Avocado
Banana
Blackberry
Blueberry
Chilli
Cucumber
Eggplant
Fennel
Fig
Grapes
Green Beans
Guava
Kiwifruit
Leek
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lettuce
Lychee
Mango
Mangosteen
Okra
Onion
Orange
Peach
Pear
Peas
Plums
Radish
Rambutan
Raspberry
Rockmelon
Squash
Tamarillo
Tomato
Watermelon
Zucchini
Zucchini Flower
On our doorsteps…..
• Tomatoes – use them any way you can bottle, sauce, soup and salad – be forgiving for the farmers and the rain a few bruises are okay
• Passionfruits
• Cucumbers
• Herbs – nourishing
• Chillies
• Eggplants bountiful
PASSIONFRUIT FLUMMERY
You can use gelatin leaves or powder for the recipe.
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tbs plain flour try and use organic
115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
2 tbs plain flour
1 tbs powdered gelatine
250ml (1 cup) water
2 oranges, juiced, strained
1 lemon, juiced, strained
125ml (1/2 cup) passionfruit pulp
Whipped cream, to serve
2 tbs passionfruit pulp, extra, to serve
1.Place the sugar, flour, gelatine, water, orange juice and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk well. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer for 2 minutes.
2.Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until the mixture begins to set around the edges. Stir in the passionfruit and transfer to a large bowl. Use an electric beater to beat for 15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale.
3.Pour the mixture evenly into four 310ml (1 1/4-cup) serving glasses. Cover the glass tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the mixture is set.
4.Serve topped with whipped cream and with extra passionfruit pulp.
MUSIC
Oh Well, That’s What You Get Falling In Love With A Cowboy – Lanie Lane
Love Letter – Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes
If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked a Cake – Bob Hope and Bing Crosby
Love Is Blind – Annie Lennox
Hooray for Love – Ella Fitzgerald
Nakutamani (I Am Longing For You) – Paul Mbenna feat Nicky Bomba
love and triple chocolate shortcrust pie, Sister T