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Louise Thomas
Editor
“This is one of my favourite pies to make,” says 2018 Bake Off finalist Ruby Bhogal.
“Not just because it’s stupidly delicious hot or cold, but because it is also pretty simple. There’s plenty of steps in this recipe where you can make bits ahead and keep chilled until the big bake day. I have doubled the quantities for the dough because, a) it’s so simple, and b) it freezes well.”
If cherries aren’t your thing, she says you can “swap them out for another firm stone fruit. Plums would be delicious, or even unripe nectarines.
“In fact, peaches would work a dream in this, turning a slightly autumnal bake into a lovely summery number. Change the recipe seasonally. Work with what is best right now. The more you bake, the more confident you will get at changing things up.”
Cherry and almond pie
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the almond sweet shortcrust pastry:
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp almond extract
100g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
200g ‘00’ or plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
200g ground almonds
1 egg, beaten, for brushing
For the cherry filling:
1kg fresh cherries, stoned (you can also use tinned or frozen)
150g caster sugar
30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp almond extract
120ml water
35g cornflour, sifted
23-cm/9-in tart tin, buttered
Method:
1. Let’s start with the pastry so this baby can get in the fridge to chill before we do anything else. In a stand mixer or large bowl, add the butter, vanilla bean paste, almond extract and sugar. Mix well until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. This may take a minute or two to emulsify completely. Next, in goes the flour and ground almonds. Mix until just combined.
2. Flatten out the dough with your hands on a piece of clingfilm to about one centimetre thickness. Lightly sprinkle with flour and then wrap it tightly and place the covered dough onto a baking tray.
3. Pop the tray into the fridge to chill for about one hour – this will make it miles easier for you to roll out and handle once the butter has firmed up a notch.
4. Sprinkle a little flour onto the worktop and use a rolling pin to roll the chilled dough to three millimetres thick. You may find it easier to roll your pastry directly onto some baking paper to prevent any sticking.
5. Carefully line the base of the prepared tin, gently pressing in the pastry at the base edges before cutting off the excess dough. Keep the surplus dough to one side to use for your top decoration.
6. Use a fork to gently prick the base of the lined tart tin and place it into the freezer for at least 45 minutes to freeze through completely.
7. While the tart is in the freezer, make your decorations to top your tart. Whether you choose to lattice, use a stencil, or use cutters, set the decorations aside and place in the freezer to set firm.
8. Preheat the oven to 170C fan/190C/gas mark 5.
9. Now that everything is chilling, let’s move on to make the cherry filling. In a saucepan, add the cherries, sugar, lemon juice and almond extract. In a bowl, add the water and cornflour and mix to make a slurry. Pour into the saucepan. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook the cherries low and slow, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until thickened. Once the liquid has reduced and coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and leave to cool. I pour this into a large, shallow baking tray for a speedier cool down.
10. When the pastry shell is frozen through, scrumple up some greaseproof paper, unfold it and place on top of the base. Pour in some baking beans or dried rice to blind bake for 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and take out the baking beans (be careful, these will be super-hot!) and greaseproof paper. Use a pastry brush to brush beaten egg liberally over the bottom and sides to seal the pastry and ensure zero soggy bottom. Place back in the oven for a further five minutes to cook the egg wash.
12. Now spoon the cooled cherry filling into the pie case. Once filled, place your frozen pastry decoration on top and brush with egg wash. Place back into the oven for a further 20 minutes to bake.
13. Once the pie is out of the oven, allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then carefully remove from the tin before slicing and serving warm. This is also killer when cold and sets nicely for a clean, sharp slice. Either way, fill your plates, fill your bellies. Happy chappy.
‘One Bake, Two Ways: 50 Crowd-Pleasing Bakes With An All-Plant Option Every Time’ by Ruby Bhogal (Pavilion Books, £26).
