Berry Bonanza (Week Two)

Hello again!

So today is the second instalment of our Berry Bonanza series, and today we've got recipes celebrating Cherries and Mixed Berries...each super sweet, super summery and super simple to add into your bakes! Without further a do...

Cherries
So I feel like there's a bit of a love/hate feel about cherries in the UK...some people love them and some loath them. I think I'm somewhere in the middle...it all depends what they're served with. But for me, there's nothing sweeter than a freshly baked wedge of cherry pie served with vanilla ice cream...

Ingredients
For the Filling
150g good-quality black cherry jam
100ml water
750g fresh red cherries, stalks and stones removed

For the Pastry
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
175g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 tbsp caster sugar, plus 2 tsp for topping
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp cold water

Method
For the filling, heat the cherry jam and water in a pan over a low heat, stirring continuously, until the jam melts and starts to bubble. Continue to simmer the mixture until the sauce is very thick and smooth.
Add the cherries and stir carefully to coat them in the hot jam mixture. Transfer the filling mixture to a 1 litre pie dish. Set aside to cool.

For the pastry, pulse the flour, butter and sugar together in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix together the beaten egg and water. Set aside one tablespoon of this mixture to use as a glaze. With the motor still running, gradually add the remaining egg and water mixture to the bowl of the food processor a little at a time, until the mixture comes together as a dough.
*Alternatively, you can do this by hand*.

Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface until it is 7cm larger in diameter than the pie dish. Cut two or three long strips from the edges of the pastry.
Brush the rim of the pie dish with a little of the reserved beaten egg. Lay the strips of pastry onto the rim of the pie dish, overlapping the strips slightly at the joins. (This will make a thicker edge for crimping.) Brush the pastry rim with more of the beaten egg.
Gently lift the rolled pastry, using the rolling pin, and place on top of the cherry filling. Press the pastry down at the edges to seal the layers of pastry together. Trim off any excess pastry, then crimp the edges with your fingertips.
Transfer the pie dish to a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C.
When the pie has chilled, brush the pastry lid with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining two teaspoons of sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut a small cross in the centre of the pie lid.
Bake the pie in the oven for 25-30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C and continue to cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and the pie filling is bubbling.

Voila!
One cherry pie ready to be eaten!


Mixed Berries
Our second berry beauty this week is a good old pot of mixed berries. This recipe is super delicious, again thanks to BBC Food. Its flourless, includes chocolate and gives you some of your five a day...does it really get much better? No!


Ingredients
For the Cake
300g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
225g caster sugar
175ml boiling water
225g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
6 eggs, separated
1 tsp instant coffee powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Topping
200ml crème fraiche
255g summer berries
1 tbsp plain chocolate, grated
Icing sugar, to dust

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
For the cake, grease and line the base of a 23cm springform tin with baking parchment.
Blend the chocolate and sugar in a food processor until a fine powder forms. Add the boiling water, butter, egg yolks, coffee powder and vanilla extract and blend until well combined.
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed, then, using a metal spoon, gently fold into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin, then transfer to the fridge for 2-3 hours.
To serve, remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate or cake stand, spread the crème fraîche on top, then scatter over the berries. To decorate, grate some chocolate over the top, or dust with icing sugar.

How simple?! And oh so yummy!

There we have it, two more berry recipes to get you feeling those summer vibes!

Next Thursday its the turn of  Raspberries and Strawberries!

Happy Baking,
Charley x

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