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Strawberry and Date Pies
Recently I’ve started baking pies. I did a Mowbray Pork Pie about a month back, and so given it’s re-enactment season and I tend to be out shooting things all day, I thought some sweet pies might be good too.
Thus, the birth of the Strawberry and Date Pie.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
- Three punnets of Strawberries (250g punnets)
- 1 punnet of fresh Dates (250g punnet)
- Some castor sugar (1 – 2 Tablespoons)
For the Pastry:
- 400g flour
- 150g lard
- 50g butter
- 200ml cold water (pro-tip: 200ml = 200g)
- 2 Tablespoons of castor sugar
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180ºC.
Top the strawberries, and slice thinly. Layer them in a bowl, sprinkling a little sugar over each layer (this will release some fluid from the strawberries).
Soften the butter and lard either by leaving out on the bench for a while, zapping in the microwave for 10-15 secs, or placing in the oven for a couple of minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix well together. (alternatively, sieve into the bowl). Make a well in the middle and place the butter and lard in it. Now using a butter knife, chop it while mixing such that the pieces become somewhat smaller and coated with flour.
Now using a pastry blender (or your fingers), rub the butter/lard into the flour until you have a breadcrumb like consistency.
Now make a new well in the centre and pour in the water. Use a butter knife to mix through and knead with until it forms a sticky ball.
Now cover that in cling wrap and place in the fridge to cool for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the dates.
Slice the dates lengthwise to remove the seed.
Then slice up the date in to strips.
Once the pastry is cool, lay out two sheets of greaseproof paper, flour one lightly, and then tear off an amount of dough and form in to a ball. It should be this big:
Place on the floured paper, and press down, flour lightly on top.
Place the other sheet of paper on top and roll out from the bottom edge to the top, once, then lift the paper, pick up the dough, flip it over and turn 90 degrees, replace the paper and repeat. Keep doing this until the pastry is approx 3-4mm thick. (note picture is slightly too thin – too thin a crust and the pie will not release from the ramkin without breaking)
Now, grease a small ramkin with butter. Place the pastry in to, making sure to get it into the edges, then trim off the excess (this will become the lid).
By now the strawberries should have lost some liquid and become a little limp. Drain off the liquid (save to make in to strawberry daiquiris or the like).
Place a layer of strawberries and a layer of dates in the pie casing.
Then top that with another layer of strawberries.
Roll out the pastry top from the off-cuts, and press in to the top of the pie.
You can roll the edges in and press down a bit too.
Repeat for all the pies.
Baste with a little milk and a sprinkle of sugar.
Bake for 35 mins, allow to cool in ramkin, then carefully remove (run a knife around the edge), flip over onto a baking sheet and back upside down for a further 10 mins to firm up the base. (Alternatively, if you’re not using top and bottom elements in the oven, bake initially for 45 mins and you should be good).
Allow to cool completely and then you have a lovely portable sweet treat.
Did you like this recipe? You might also like:
- Light Caramel Macadamia Pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Quick bread (faux turkish style)
- Corn Bread
- Potato Buttermilk Bread
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