Sweet Cherry Pie

You know the look!

When you serve a homemade pie or a tart to someone, and their first question is almost always "do you make the pastry too? ". And if the answer is NO, oh well, everyone use store bought pastry now a days anyway, but if the answer is YES, they'll give you the look, the almost unbelievable look, as if you did something close to impossible! Actually, I'm quite addicted to that look on my guest's face that I almost never and will not use store bought pastry. After all, it's not difficult at all to make pastry, if you have the time that is, and time is often what i lack ,hence I very seldom make stuff with pastry. But because of the rain, we've cancelled all outings, and time is what i have, so i decided it's time to get my hands dirty and rub some butter and flour. There is a can of cherry sitting in my pantry for quite sometime, my original intention was to make a black forest cake or something, but now, it seems perfect to use it for a lovely cherry pie instead.

Sweet Cherry Pie

For the Pastry:

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 125 g chilled butter, cut in small cube
• 2 egg yolks

Method:

1. Combine the flour and icing sugar in a big bowl.
2. Rub the chilled butter into the flour mixture using fingertips until mixture resemble fine bread crumbs
3. Add the egg yolks, and mix together with the flour until incorporated and the mixture begin to hold together.
   
4. Bring the dough together, shaped into a disc, and wrap with plastic wrap. Keep chilled in the fridge for about 30 mins. ( I speed up the process by putting it in the freezer for about 10 mins).
5. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry into 5mm thick.
   
6. Line a 23cm fluted tart tin with removable base with pastry, press pastry into base and sides, trim off excess.
7. Place in the freezer to rest for another 10 mins. *
   
8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven for 200 degree Celsius.
9. Line the chilled pastry with baking paper, and filled it with rice ( or baking beads ).**
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins. Remove the rice and baking paper, and bake the pastry for another 5 mins or so until golden. Remove from the oven, and cool on wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the filling of the pie.

For the filling:

• 1 can of cherry
  
• 1/4 cup of cherry syrup
  
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 tbsp flaked almond
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degree Celsius.
2. Combine the eggs, sugar, cream almond meal and cherry syrup in a medium bowl. Whisk until everything come together.
   
3. Arrange cherry on the base of pastry, and pour over egg mixture and sprinkle with flaked almond.
   
4. Bake in the oven for about 30 mins, or until set.
   
5. Cool in tin, and dust with icing sugar before serving.
   

This is a very delicous pie, the pastry is crisp, filling soft, and not too sweet. I prefer to eat them warm, with ice-cream.

* The best way to bake pastry is to put very cold pastry into very hot oven.
**This process is called blind baking.