Ingredients
- 1 portion shortcrust pastry
Filling
- 1 lb 10 oz (750 g) fresh sweet cherries, stoned
- 4 oz (100 g) sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
- 1 finely grated lemon juice and zest
- 2 tbsp corn flour
Glaze
- 1 free-range egg, slightly beaten
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar
How to Make It
- Make the shortcrust pastry according to the basic recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4).
- Place the stoned cherries in a heavy-bottomed pot with the sugar, vanilla seeds and pod and grated lemon zest. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently.
- Mix the lemon juice and corn flour and add it to the cherries. Whisk until the mixture has thickened. Let cool and remove the vanilla pod.
- Divide the pastry into two portions, one of which should be a bit larger than the other.
- Place the larger piece on a floured surface and roll it out into a round that is about 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter.
- Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and drape it over a loose-based pie tin, about 24 cm (10 inches) in diameter. Carefully press the dough against the edges and let some dough hang over the edge.
- Fill the pie shell with the cherry filling.
- Roll out the smaller piece of dough into a round slightly larger than the pie tin.
- Whisk the egg and milk and brush the edges of the dough in the pie tin. Top with the rolled-out round of pastry.
- Pinch the edges together with your fingers and then remove any excess dough. Cut out some leaves from the extra dough and decorate the pie.
- Place the pie on a tray, brush the whole lid with the egg mixture and attach the leaves to the middle of the top. Sprinkle with demerara sugar. Make small incisions (like sunbeams) in the top and bake the pie in the lower part of the oven for about 35 minutes, until it is golden.
