Ingredients - serves 8
| 375g plain flour | 2 Bramley apples |
| 90g icing sugar | 1½ tablespoons cornflour |
| 250g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed | 4 tablespoons caster sugar |
| Pinch of salt | 1 teaspoon mixed spice |
| 90ml iced water | 1 egg white, lightly beaten |
| 450g cherries, pitted |
Method
To make the pastry:
- put the flour, icing sugar and salt in a food processor give it a quick whiz. Of course you can always make your pastry by hand.
- Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add the iced water and process until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
- Lightly grease 8 x125ml muffin tins.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is 3mm thick and then use it to line the muffin tins. Cut out 8 pastry circles to fit the tops.
To make the filling:
- Peel, core and roughly chop the apples.
- Add to the apples the cherries, cornflour, sugar and mixed spice and mix well.
- Spoon into the dough cases. Top with the dough circles and crimp the edges together with a fork.
- Brush the pastry with egg white.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden.
- Ease out of the muffin tin gently.
- Serve hot or cold with double cream or ice cream.
Personally my favourite cherry recipe involves cherries, a good bottle of champagne, good company and a sunny day. I have the cherries and the good company, the champagne is on ice but the sunny day is out of my hands. See you at Cherry Day in the traditional orchard in Lynsted, long may they continue!
