Hot Desserts Recipes - Cherry Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 150g/5oz plain flour

• 25g/1oz icing sugar

• 100g/4oz butter (cubed)

• 50g/2oz ground almonds

• 3 tablespoons chilled water

• 700g/1 1/2lb pitted morello cherries

• 1 egg (lightly beaten)

• Caster sugar for sprinkling

Serves 6-8

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Method:

1. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with just your fingertips until the mixture is fine and crumbly. Stir in the ground almonds,  then add almost all the water and stir into the flour mixture with a flat-bladed knife until the mixture forms a dough, adding the remaining water if necessary.

2. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and gather together into a ball. Roll out on a sheet of baking paper into a circle about 26cm in diameter.

3. Flatten slightly, cover with Clingfilm and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spread the cherries into a 23cm/9in pie dish.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Cover the pie dish with the pastry and trim the overhanging edge. Brush the pastry top all over with beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with caster sugar.

5. Place the pie dish on a baking tray and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice-cream.