Two years ago I wrote about a cherry pie I made with morello cherries from my friend Margaret’s garden. I can’t believe it’s 2 years ago! This week Margaret kindly gave me some cherries again, and I made another pie. What is it about pie? Even the word pie is a good word, it feels warm to say. It conjures images of wholesomeness, of something that is more than just pastry and filling, more than just good to eat. Pie is going to make you happy, always.
Mmm cherries 🍒
I made a bigger pie this time, and augmented the cherries with strawberries and a few blackcurrants. I made the same quick flaky pastry using a mix of vegetarian fats this time – butter, Stork and Cookeen – what I had in the fridge really. No lard! Because I dislike overly sweetened food I didn’t add too much sugar, and the filling was pleasingly tart.
It was a good combination! The pie says “eat me – and you will be happy!” Believe the pie – what it says is true.
Served with vanilla ice cream pie is one of life’s small joys. Homemade pie is even better. Fresh pie, just still warm, crispy pastry and juicy filling. Anything better?!
Thank you Margaret for the cherries, they always seem to inspire a pie!
Key lime pie is very American isn’t it? And yesterday was Independence Day – I hope all my readers in the USA had a happy and peaceful day. For me Key lime pie is associated with Florida and the happy holidays I have spent there with our friends. It’s a tradition – first grocery shop includes a big pie, which we then have for dessert every night for a few nights!
Key lime pie bars – made by me!
Last year my friend gave me a bottle of Key lime juice to bring home, and somehow I have only just now got round to using it. Don’t know how that happened, because making a Key lime pie with ready made juice is as easy as – pie!
Yummy 😋
So what’s the difference between an ordinary lime and a Key lime? Well part of the clue is in the name – the Key lime was traditionally grown in the Florida Keys, and I guess that’s why you can buy a Key lime pie just about everywhere in Florida. The lime is sometimes known as a Mexican or West Indian lime, and has a distinctive flavour compared to the more ubiquitous Persian lime. I’m sure fresh lime juice is always superior in taste than bottled but as Key limes are smaller than regular limes you need to juice about 20 to make a pie. Hmmmm. It’s way easier and quicker to use the bottled stuff, and to be honest it looked and smelled like the real thing.
Regular limes on the left. Image from this site, which has an interesting article about why key limes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be in the 21st century…
I decided to make a bar version of the pie, mainly because portion control is a whole lot easier that way. It is simplicity itself to make, and I used this recipe from the Martha Stewart website. As it happens this weekend there was a really good Felicity Cloake ‘how to make … the perfect key lime pie’. Unfortunately today I can’t link to it. But in a few days it will be available on the Guardian website I’m sure. (It’s almost exactly the same as the Martha Stewart one in fact.)
Everything you need
Ready to go in the oven for 10 minutes, just to set the filling. Then it has to chill for four hours.
This is definitely something I’d make again – even if I have to squeeze the limes by hand 😉.
Decorated with piped whipped cream and a few shreds of lime zest.
Is there anyone who doesn’t love cherries? I have to buy them in quite small quantities because otherwise I could eat more than is good for me. There is such an abundance of delicious fruit at this time of year, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, peaches, nectarines… the list goes on. But the best of all are English cherries. (Turkish cherries are also pretty good in my opinion, but think of the air miles 😦 )
I have a memory from childhood of eating cherries on a picnic with my family, including my grandmother. My sisters and I had a fun time trying to spit the cherry stones/pits as far as we could. My grandmother never said a word. But later, when the snapshots of the day came back from the chemist (yes – I am talking about the true olden days here!) there was a hilarious picture of us in full spitting mode, and my grandmother looking very disapproving as she sat on the bench! I don’t imagine we could spit them far – and who knew that there are cherry pit spitting world championships, and the record for the longest ‘spit’ is 28.5 m or 93 ft 6.5 inches set in 2004! Whaaat???!!
But wait a minute – this post is not about those delicious dessert cherries that are better than any sweeties. It’s about the sour variety, sometimes known as morello, or in the US Montmorency cherries are a widespread sour variety I think. I have a friend, and loyal supporter too, who has a sour cherry tree in her garden. Margaret was kind enough to give me some cherries from her tree this week. I’ve had pie on my mind for a couple of weeks, and sour cherries make good pies. So pie it was! I consulted the oracle of American baking (otherwise known as Joy of Cooking) for hints and tips on making a classic cherry pie. I am not saying we can’t make amazing pies here in the UK, but pie is somehow very American isn’t it?
Two yummy cherry pies
Now, I am sorry to all my vegetarian and vegan readers but the best tasting flaky pastry just has to be made with a combination of butter and lard. I’m sure that there are some good vegetarian/vegan cooking fats out there, but I just prefer the taste and texture of pastry made with animal fats – sorry! I made the pastry and left it in the fridge overnight just chillin’.
Rolling out pastry – gently does it
I stoned the cherries with a cherry stoner – you don’t need such a thing (Margaret tells me she uses the tip of a potato peeler), but being a cherry fanatic I have had one in the drawer for years.
Cherry stoner – these are English dessert cherries in a bowl my mum made
Here’s a little haiku I wrote called Stoning Cherries
Scarlet pink dark red
Cherry juice explodes and drips
Staining my fingers
Seriously – there was cherry juice everywhere – over the counter top, on the floor, on the cupboard doors!
The stoned cherries mixed with sugar and cornflour
Then I mixed the cherries with some sugar, cornflour (to thicken the juices) a little squeeze of lemon juice, and a drop of almond essence. While it sat for a bit (not too long though – you don’t want the juices to run too much), I rolled out the pastry and lined a couple of individual pie tins. I brushed the pastry with beaten egg before filling with the cherry mixture and adding the pastry lids. Egg wash the top and sprinkle with sugar and pop in a hot oven to bake. Oh my days – the smell of baking pies! Yum!
This beautiful plate was given to me along with the cherries – thank you so much Margaret.
Eat Cake And Run 