Deep-Dish Cherry Pie

What’s not to love?  This cherry pie is everything you could ever want when baking a sweet, sweet something.  The house fills with the sticky delicious aroma whilst you’re making the filling, then the deeper mouthwateringly butter pastry baking in a hot oven.  By the time the pie is out and cooling, you’re ready with the cream for pouring and the spoon for digging in.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 tbsp cornflour
3/4 cup caster sugar OR *jfhx : Sweet Spice Mash Up 3#
1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp vanilla essence
300ml cherry juice (from tin)
2 x 425g stoneless black cherries, drained
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup cherry brandy or port
2 sheets sweet short crust pastry
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp caster

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180c. Lightly grease one large pie dish or a muffin tin.

Place cornflour, sugar, ginger and vanilla in a medium-sized saucepan.
Whisk in the cherry juice.  Bring to a simmer, whisking as you go.
When thick, remove from heat and stir in the cherries, zest and port.
Allow to cool.  You can make this the night before if you like.

Roll our your pastry, line your pie dish (or if you’re making mini pies, using a cookie cutter cut circles for the base of your mini pies and line your muffin tin.) Then roll again and do the same for the pie lid.

Spoon the cooled cherry filling into your pastry lined dish or tin and cover with a pastry lid, pinching the edges to seal.  Brush with the cream and sprinkle with the caster sugar.

Pierce the pie with a sharp knife (to release the steam), if baking one large pie, place on a baking tray just incase you get a little cherry liquefaction and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until it smells spectacular and is golden.

SERVE with friends, custard, cream, ice cream or just because. 

JAX SAYS : this is a fabulous way to celebrate mid-winter Christmas with a hot cherry dessert.  Instead of mince pies in December, try making mini cherry pies instead, you won’t regret it.

Food : Jax Hamilton