Cherry Pie

Cherry pie has to be one of my favourite desserts of all time. I'm not a big dessert person, but I'll always make time for pie. I remember a trip to America a few years back, we stopped off at a restaurant that was all home made recipes. I sat on a grass hill with my take out slice of cherry pie and it was one of the best pieces of pie I'd ever eaten. So it will always have fond memories for me. My recipe doesn't quite match up to that memory, but it is still a fantastic slice of pie and a firm favourite with E, who is obsessed with cherries since I introduced her last month. Cherries are currently in season, so I have teamed up with the guys at Pyrex to show you how to create this cherry pie using their Supreme baking range.

If you have followed me on social media for a while, you will know that Evie loves helping me in the kitchen. She can even make her own ice lollies without  assistance. I'm secretly very proud of her wanting to be involved with food so much. A few months ago she said "cook like mommy" when we asked what she wanted to do when she grew up. So I got her to help me, those cherry stained hands are the result of her eating more cherries than we cooked with. Getting your children involved with the mixing and rolling before everything gets hot is a great activity. It also helps that all of the Pyrex range I have used is super light.

The Pyrex Supreme range is available at Ocado, Asda, Dunelm and The Range, so you can easily pick up a few pieces with the weekly shop. The ceramic collection is made from an awesome high-quality ceramic and there’s a shape and size for pretty much anything you fancy making. The range includes the pie dish Evie and I used, which can go straight from the oven to the table for serving and then into microwave to re-heat, fridge to keep fresh or the dishwasher for a quick clean-up operation. If only we had a dishwasher system for cherry stained toddler hands...

Serves: 6Prep time: 20minsCook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 500g cherries
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175ml water
• Quarter tsp almond extract
• 100g sugar
• 2 packs of pre-rolled shortcrust pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp demerara sugar

Directions

1. De-stone cherries by running a knife around the outside, twisting and removing the stone. You can always buy frozen cherries and defrost them before using to skip this stage.
2. Take your pastry out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
3. Add cherries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, almond extract, water, salt and cornstarch to a pan on medium heat. Mix to combine and cook until cherries have softened and thickened (about 5-8 mins.) Leave to cool.
4. Pre-heat oven to 190-200c.
5. Roll out one of your pastry on to a lightly floured surface and roll until wider than your dish. Pop your dish face down and cut a circle around the edges with at least a 2 inch hangover.
6. Pop the circle of pastry into your dish and push into the bottom edges, pierce the bottom a few times with a sharp knife. Then whisk your egg and brush on to the bottom. Allow to dry and then fill your pie with the cherry filling.
7. For the top, roll out your second pastry and cut equal lines of pastry at least an inch thick. To lattice your pie, fold down the odd numbered pieces of pastry. So number them 1-4, fold down 1 and 3, lay a piece of pastry horizontally, then fold down 2 and 4, lay a piece of pastry horizontally, repeat until finished. If you get stuck, this is a great visual guide. 
8. Fold over the access pastry and crimp by pushing with one finger from the one side and two fingers from the opposite. as if you are pinching the pastry around your finger.
9. Brush with egg wash, you can dilute with a touch of milk if you haven't enough. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.
10. Bake in the oven until golden.
11. Allow your pie to cool if wanting a perfect slice, but I can't resist it hot with a heap of vanilla ice cream.

As you know, I am a huge hater of food waste and do whatever I can to prevent it. That's why these Cook & Go glass tubs are perfect for freezing your leftovers (currently on offer in Ocado.) I love them because they come in different sizes, so great if you only have a small freezer. You can pop them in the microwave, oven, fridge, freezer and dishwasher (minus lid), perfect for busy mom like me. You can use leftover cherries for a smoothie or even an ice lolly recipe.

This post is in collaboration with Pyrex, thank you for supporting the brands that support The Mother Cooker. All love of cherry pie and opinion of epic dishes my own.