Mom Bennetts Gooseberry Pie Filling 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.

MOM BENNETT'S GOOSEBERRY PIE FILLING

Steps:

• You may need more sugar if your gooseberries are tarter than you thought.
• You cook this all together till its thick and hot. Put this between 2 pie shells and bake if you want.

GOOSEBERRY BAKEWELL PIES

Steps:

• For the pastry, put the egg yolk, butter, sugar and ½ tsp salt in a processor and pulse until creamy and soft. Add the flour and pulse until the mix comes together in clumps, but don't overwork it. Tip onto the work surface and squish the dough together to make a smooth disc. Wrap and chill for 30 mins.
• For the filling, beat the butter, sugar, egg, extract and almonds together until creamy, then fold in the flour and a pinch of salt.
• Line a large, flat baking sheet with parchment. Roll the pastry on a floured surface until just thicker than a £1 coin. Stamp 16 x 9cm circles using a pastry cutter, re-rolling the trimmings. Put 8 of the rounds on the sheet, allowing a little space between each one. Spoon 1 tbsp of the filling onto the middle of the rounds, flatten it out a little, then press in 6 gooseberries, pointy end up, in a flower shape.
• Briefly beat the egg white with a fork until frothy. Brush some of this over the remaining circles, then sit them on top of the berries, like hats - the pastry on top will fold itself over the berries as it cooks. Sprinkle with the 25g sugar and chill while you heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake the pies for 35 mins or until golden. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

GOOSEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Pull off tops and tails of gooseberries and halve berries lengthwise. In a 10-inch heavy skillet cook berries and 1 cup sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tapioca and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out larger piece of dough into a 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit round into a 9-inch (1-quart) glass pie plate. Roll out remaining dough into an 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and with a fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Fill shell with cooled filling and brush edge of shell lightly with water.
• Arrange about 6 pastry strips, parallel to each other and about 1/2 inch apart, over filling, pressing ends of strips to edge of shell to seal. (Reserve remaining pastry for another use.) Trim edge of pastry and crimp decoratively. Melt remaining tablespoon butter and brush over pastry. Sprinkle pastry strips with remaining teaspoon sugar, being careful not to sprinkle crimped edge of pie (sugar may burn).
• Bake pie in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until edge is just golden. While pie is baking, cut a 12-inch square of foil and with scissors cut out a 7- to 8-inch round, discarding round. Put foil on top of pie to keep edge from burning and bake pie 30 minutes more, or until filling is bubbling all over and pastry strips are golden. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

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.