Cherry Pie!

You read that title and a little voice in your head said "oooooooooooo" didn't it? If you are anything like me you come over all 1950's and imagine diners sat at stools, waitresses in candy striped pinnies, "more coffee" and a piece of Cherry Pie (a la mode!).

I have been yearning to make this, ever since the purchase of a red pie dish (perfect) and the gift of a cherry stoner!More fun than you can ever imagine! Love this! Great Christmas present! I have so many summer cherry dishes in mind....x

So here we have it, Cherry Pie just like MrsB makes it!

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
150g chilled unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 100g golden caster sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp cornflour
Pinch of ground cinnamon
500g cherries, stoned (2 for £3 currently in Co-op) 1 tbsp milk, for brushing
2 tbsp golden granulated sugar

Method

1. Put the flour, butter and 75g golden caster sugar into a bowl and using your finger tips rub the fat lightly in until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2-3 tablespoons cold water. Use a palette knife to bring the mixture together and towards the end use your hands to bring the dough together to form a ball. Turn out, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. If you are technologically more advanced than me....(I am basically borderline Amish in the kitchen) use a food processor.....?

2. Mix the cornflour, remaining golden caster sugar and cinnamon together, then gently toss with the cherries in a bowl. Put a baking sheet into the oven and preheat it to 220C/fan200C/gas 7.

3. Grease a 23cm pie dish . Roll out half the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the dish. If you have it, a fine layer of semolina (or cornmeal will help absorb some of the cherry juice.....hmmmmmmm cherry juice, and stop your base going soggy!) Trim the edges, pile the cherry mixture into the centre and spoon over 4 tablespoons water. Brush the pastry edges with water. Roll out the remaining pastry and use to cover the fruit, making a hole in the centre. Press the edges to seal, trim off the excess pastry and crimp the edges.4. Brush the pie with milk and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Put the pie on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/fan160C/gas 4 and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the pastry is pale-golden.Enjoy a la mode... ie with ice cream
OR
single cream
OR
in my faintly ridiculous "mode" with squirty cream!

x

I Heart a Vintage Breakfast....x

You may have seen this or not on the omnipotent Mr Jamie Oliver's Family Christmas programme. It is genius simple! J. Oliver's children made them and so did mine. This is the way that pancakes should be made, with no faffing, mess, whipping of egg whites etc etc! You should be able to make them practically still asleep; with a Christmas "head"; with a kitchen full of folk or simply before heading out for a much dread post "Roses" run!(eeeeeewgh!)

Grab yourself a mug/ large cup (of any dimensions). Use it to scoop up a mugful of Self Raising Flour, dump it in your new fabby Christmas pancake jug (......big thankyou's B juniors!) or bowl! Add a pinch of salt and a tsp of baking powder. Pour milk into your mug now, in it goes and one egg. Using a whisk, whip up all your ingredients, till you have a smooth batter.

You are good to go! Grab a reliable frying pan, crank up the heat, melt a knob of butter in pan and pour in about a tbs of batter. Let it cook until bubbles appear in the surface and a slice slides underneath easily. Flip it! Yipee watch it rise up! Lovely fat pancakes! (please bear in mind the first pancake is always, always a disaster....unless perhaps you are Mr Oliver?!) Keep a plate in a warm oven to pop them onto while you cook the rest of the batch!

Serve up with fruit, honey, greek yoghurt, jam, butter....whatever looks pretty and takes your fancy! And a good pot of hot, fresh coffee (in delicious teeny tiny 1950's red, red cups on a gingham table cloth......love a vintage breakfast table, everything looks homey and warm on gingham!)