Classic Gooseberry Pie Food

GOOSEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• To make the pastry, mix the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl, then tip in 4 egg yolks. Add the flour and mix it all together with your fingers until you get a crumbly texture like damp breadcrumbs. Work in 1-2 tbsp water until the pastry just comes together, then divide it in half and roll it into 2 balls. This will make double the amount you need, so freeze half for another time. Lay the ball you are using on a floured surface, flatten it out with your hands, wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.
• For the filling, tip the fruit, sugar and Port, if using, or a splash of water into a saucepan and simmer everything for about 10 mins until the fruit is soft. Taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if you think it needs it. Pour the fruit into a pie dish about 25cm wide and 5cm deep.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface so it's big enough to make a lid for your pie dish. Cut a thin strip of pastry to stick onto the lip of the pie dish - this doesn't have to be one continuous piece. Stick it on with a little water, then moisten the strip with more water and place the pastry lid on top. Press down firmly, trim off any excess pastry and crimp. Make a hole in the middle of the lid, brush the top with the remaining egg yolk and sprinkle over some caster sugar. You should have enough pastry trimmings left over to make some artistic leaves to decorate your pie, if you like. Bake for 30 mins or until the top is golden brown. Leave the pie to relax a little, then serve it with custard or vanilla ice cream.

OLD FASHIONED SASKATOON PIE

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the saskatoon berries and the lemon juice (and water, if using frozen berries), stirring often, until the berries release some of their juices and shrink a bit, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and the sweet rice flour or cornstarch until they are well combined. Dump these into the berries and bring them to a boil, stirring often. Once they boil, cook the pie filling until it is thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir in the almond extract or rosewater, if you are using it. (If you used frozen berries, the filling may look quite thick at this point, but the berries will release more juice as the pie bakes.)
• Remove the saskatoon pie filling from the heat and allow it to cool completely. At this point, the filling can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before being used in a pie. It can also be used as a cooked fruit pudding, to eat with yogurt, to top a cheesecake, or on pancakes.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Roll out the pie pastry into two circles a little larger than your pie dish (one a little larger for the bottom crust).
• Line your choice of pie plate with the bottom crust. Pour in the cooled saskatoon pie filling and smooth the top. Add a top crust or layer of streusel topping (recipe above, instructions below). If using the top crust; roll it out, lay it on top of the pie, press the edges together, then trim off the excess pastry. Crimp the edges and cut vent slits into the top of the pie. Brush the top of the pie with the cream and sprinkle it with the 2 teaspoons of sugar if desired.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling up a bit through the vent holes. If the edges of the crust get too brown, cover them with strips of foil halfway through the baking time.
• Eat warm or at room temperature. Saskatoon Pie is great with vanilla ice cream.
• Cuts into 6 or 8 wedges.
• Place all the streusel ingredients in a bowl and cut them together with a pastry blender until they are well mixed and form pea-sized crumbs. You can also work them together with your hands or mix them with an electric mixer (do not overmix or the ingredients will bind to form a dough - which you'll have to crumble apart to make a streusel). Spread the streusel crumbs across the filling in a pie and bake as directed.

GOOSEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients, except pie crusts.
• Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Pour into 1 pie crust; top with the remaining crust.
• Pinch and seal edges.
• Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

GOOSEBERRY PIE III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.) Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Roll out top crust and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together sugar and flour.
• Place 2 cups of berries in the pastry lined pie pan and sprinkle with half of sugar mixture. Put in remaining two cups of gooseberries, then sprinkle on remaining sugar mixture. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust and seal and flute edge. Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool. You may wish to cover the edge of pie with foil to prevent over-browning. If you do so, remove the foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.

GOOSEBERRY & CUSTARD PIES

Steps:

• First, make the compote. Put the sugar and vanilla pod with seeds in a saucepan with 3 tbsp water and bring to the boil. Try to gently swirl rather than stir. Drop in the gooseberries and simmer for 20 mins or until half the liquid has bubbled off. Divide between four small pie dishes and put in the fridge to cool while you make the custard.
• Put the cream, milk and vanilla pods with seeds in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour together. Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Rinse out the saucepan, then pour the custard mixture into the pan. Cook on a low heat, whisking, for 5-6 mins until thick. Pour through a sieve over a large jug and discard the vanilla pods, then pour the custard over the compote in the pie dishes. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the pie lids, lay one sheet of the filo on the work surface and brush with the melted butter, then put another sheet on top. Repeat with the rest of the sheets. On the final layer, scatter over the sugar, then cut the pastry into four rectangles. Lightly scrunch each rectangle and place loosely on top of each pie dish. Bake the pies in the oven for 20 mins or until the pastry is golden and caramelised. Remove from the oven and serve.

GOOSEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• On a piece of parchment generously dusted with flour, roll out one disk of dough to a 12-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate, pressing it into the edges. Trim dough to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Roll out remaining disk of dough in the same manner; transfer (on parchment) to a baking sheet. Chill pie shell and dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, toss together the gooseberries, granulated sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt. Spoon into pie shell, mounding slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Lightly brush rim of pie shell with water. Center the remaining rolled dough on top of the fruit; gently press over the berries. Gently press the top and bottom pieces of dough together to seal. Using kitchen scissors, trim top piece of dough to a 1-inch overhang all around. Tuck dough under, and crimp edge as desired.
• Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter, make cuts in the top crust to allow steam to escape (do not remove rounds of dough). In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream; brush egg wash over entire surface of pie, being careful not to let it pool. Sprinkle pie generously with sanding sugar. Freeze or refrigerate pie until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F, with the rack in the lower third.
• Place pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking, rotating sheet halfway through, until crust is deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling and have thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely. The pie is best eaten the same day it is baked, but it can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.
• Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the butter and shortening, and process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; use a pastry blender to cut in the butter and shortening.)
• With the machine running, pour ice water through the feed tube in a steady stream until the dough just holds together without being too wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add a bit more water.
• Turn out the dough onto a work surface. Divide in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Dough can be frozen, wrapped in plastic, up to 3 weeks; thaw in refrigerator.