When I visited the US a couple of years ago, everywhere I went I was asked if I had tried their famous Cherry Pie – so of course I had to try it… and then make some when I got home. These mini ones are great portion sizes and they look super cute!
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 125g Plain Flour
- 1 Heaped Tsp Caster Sugar
- 70g Chilled Butter
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 Tbsp chilled water
Cherry Filling
- 1 Tin Cherries in syrup
- 1 Tsp Cornflour
Directions
- Start by making the pastry: Sift the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Use your hands to rub the butter and flour together until you get a breadcrumb like texture. Stir in the sugar with a cutlery knife.
- Mix the egg yolk and water together in a small bowl. Add 1 Tbsp of the egg mix to the crumb. Use a cutlery knife to quickly and evenly distribute the liquid in the crumb. This will begin to create flakes of pastry – if the pastry seems dry or isn’t flaking, add another Tbsp of egg mix. Now use your hands to bring the pastry together. Knead the pastry a tiny bit to make sure the texture is even throughout. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to cool down for 10 minutes.
- To make the cherry filling; drain the cherries through a sieve into a bowl, keeping the liquid. Cut the cherries in half on a board and make sure all stones are removed. Heat the cherries back in their syrup with the corn flour in a small saucepan over a low heat. Continue to cook until the mixture has thickened to almost jelly like.
- Roll out half of the pastry to 2mm thickness, trying to keep it rectangular. Cut the pastry into 6 same sized pieces and line 6 tart shells with the pastry, making sure you press it firmly into the edges. Use a cutlery knife to cut the overhanging pastry off and neaten them up. Place in the fridge and chill until firm. Preheat the oven to 200ᵒC.
- Roll out the other half of the pastry to 2mm thickness. Use a cutlery knife to cut the pastry into thin strips to use as your lattice to top your pies.
- To blind bake the tart cases: cut out small circles of baking paper and press into the edges of the pastry tarts. Fill the cases generously with baking beans.
- Place the tart shells in the middle of the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and take out the baking beans and paper then bake for a further 2 minutes to ensure the bottoms are cooked through. Spoon in the cherry filling to about 2/3 full. Top the tarts with your pre-cut pastry strips in the style of a lattice – this is traditionally crisscrossed by intertwining each strip of pastry. However, just placing them on will still look amazing!
- Brush a little egg wash (egg + water mixture) over the pastry and lightly sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and golden. Keep an eye out to make sure they’re not browning too quickly – if they are, move them to a lower shelf.
