SUMMER FRUIT PIE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PIE FILLING

600g / 1lb 3oz Summer fruits (see Advice section below)

170g / 6oz sugar

FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY

220g / 8oz plus a tablespoon for sprinkling on the rolling surface

55g / 4oz cooking margarine (e.g. Stork)

55g / 4oz Refined vegetable fat (e.g. Cookeen)

1 medium egg

Half a tablespoon of sugar

PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes
 
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes
 
DIFFICULTY: Easy to medium
 
FREEZE: No
 
SERVINGS: Six servings
 
EQUIPMENT: Oven proof pie dish about 22cm / 9in wide at the base and about 5cm / 2in deep.
Rolling pin.

PREPARATION

Some fruits, for example gooseberries, have little tufts of growth at either end of the fruit. It is traditional to remove these before cooking, but in our opinion it makes little difference to the finished pie. If you do remove the tufts from gooseberries, it can be time-consuming depending on how many you have.
Separate the yolk from the white of the egg.
Pre-heat the oven to Fan 200°C / 220°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.

ADVICE FOR SUMMER FRUIT PIE

Lots of different summer fruits can be used for this recipe either as a mixture or by themselves. Use what you have in the garden or is best available at the shops. We used a mix of gooseberries, red currants, white currants and a few black currants because they were available in our garden. But blueberries and raspberries can also be used.

Summer fruits in a bowl

The sugar contents of different fruits vary and even the same fruit will have different amounts of sugar depending on the time of year and the variety used. So our recommendation for the amount of sugar to add to the fruit is an average one, you may want to use less or more. Taste the fruit mixture just before adding it to the pie dish and add more sugar if the fruit tastes too tart.

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1

Add the sugar for the pie filling, one tablespoon of water and about two thirds of the fruit to a pan on a medium heat. Let them cook for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently to stop any of the fruit sticking to the base of the pan.

When cooked remove from the heat.

Cooking summer fruits and sugar

STEP 2

Now for the shortcrust pastry. You have two options. The first, and very much the easiest, is to buy a pack of ready rolled shortcrust pastry from your local supermarket. These make excellent pastry.

Your second option, if you are more adventurous, is to make your own pastry from scratch. We have a page dedicated to making the shortcrust pastry which can be found by clicking here. Full instructions are there plus a video of the whole process of making shortcrust pastry.

STEP 3

Add the cooked and uncooked fruit to the pie dish and even them out. Using a brush, spread a little egg yolk around the edge of the pie dish.

Spread the rolled out shortcrust pastry over the top of the pie and crimp down the edges. Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining egg yolk.

Summer Fruits in Dish

STEP 4

Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the pastry and place in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

Turn the oven down to Fan 170°C / 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5 and cook for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Serve your summer fruit pie warm or cold with either cream, ice cream or custard.

Summer Fruit Pie