Our Black Currant bush is fruiting at the moment and providing us with oodles and oodles of lovely black berries. I just adore black currants, don't you?
I have all sorts of plans for them. Black Currant Cordial. Creme De Cassis. Dried black currants (in my dehydrator) to use this winter in cakes, etc.
They are coming fast and furious now in my garden now and with the warm humid weather we have been promised for the week ahead (fingers crossed), well . . . I just want to get as much out of them as I can. I know I will lose a lot to the birds . . . or them overripening . . . I'm ok with sharing with the birds. They need to live too. I just want to get my own share's worth first!
I don't make my own jams anymore. With just the two of us, it's just not feasible. That means I have to do something else with the fruit that we grow and pick. I do try to bake crumbles, cakes, pies etc. with whatever fresh fruit that is in season at the moment, and I try hard to freeze some to enjoy in the winter ahead.
This pie is simple and delicious. You can have it warm with some custard, or ice cream, creme fraiche or even with some clotted cream. You will want somethiing rich and creamy to contrast with that crisp pastry and the sweet/tart fruit. I hope that the missionaries like it. Yes I do like to spoil them when they come for supper. Cold supper tonight. Fried chicken. Potato Salad. Coleslaw and . . . pie!
*Deep Dish Black Currant Pie*
makes one 8 inch pie
Printable Recipe
A beautiful deep dish pie that is at once sweet and yet tart, and oh so oozingly delicious! This is fabulous!
For the Pastry:
170g plain flour (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
a pinch of salt
100g unsalted butter (7 TBS)
1 medium egg yolk
Cold water, to combine
For the Filling:
350g fresh blackcurrants, washed, picked over, topped and tailed (abput 4 cups)
150g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cornflour (corn starch)
Milk and extra sugar to glaze
To make the pastry, sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat the egg yolk together with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the butter mixture. Mix to a firm dough with a fork. Shape into two flat rounds, and then chill, wrapped for at least 30 minutes before using.
Preheat your oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Put the blackcurrants into a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and cornflour. gently turning them with a spoon until they all get coated with the sugar and corn flour.
Roll out half of the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit in the bottom of a 7 to 8 inch deep pie dish, along with some overhang. Line the pie tin with this. FIll with the fruit sugar mixture.
Roll out the remainder of the pastry in a round large enough to cover the top of the pie. Brush the edges of the bottom crust all the way around with some milk. Apply the top crust and trim, pinching and folding the edge to seal. (Flute according to your preference.) Cut a few slashes in the top to vent. Brush with more milk and extra sugar.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm with some ice cream, custard or creme fraiche. Delicious!
It's so gorgeous!! Wow, now I am really wishing I knew where to find black currants, because those are beautiful! And I want to make that pie. It's perfect! Those missionaries are some lucky boys! I wish you could freeze me some currants and send them over... Or that I could just walk by and pick some up myself! Someday :) I might have to plan my visit during currant season...
ReplyDeleteLooks just lovely!
ReplyDeleteMarie, love black currant jam, but here in the US it's no longer possible to find it where I live. You used to see it in some grocery stores, but not for some time. We only occasionally see small amounts of red currants in the produce section, and certainly not black currants. I'm so jealous, that pie looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, have you ever tried freezer jam making? You can simmer up a small to a goodly supply (dependent on your freezer space) but instead of going through the whole canning process of the hot water bath, there are freezer safe plastic containers that you fill, then freeze. Freezer jam lasts a good 3 to 4 months. I haven't ever dared to do home canning, as I remember my maternal grandmother, and how much work home canning seemed to be. She was a farmer's wife and canned so much fresh produce, she had shelves and shelves loaded down with it. It was wonderful to see, but there was the occasional misfortune, in that some things would burst if something didn't go quite right. Jars of tomatoes, and other things, even bottles of homemade root beer, and grandpa's home brew would occasionally explode, and that could also cause perfectly fine jars/bottles of other things to shatter. The mess was always immense, as it managed to get everywhere, including the ceiling. So, I limit my "putting up" to freezer jam, icebox pickles, and freezing berries, and some vegetables.
I order dried black currants and reconstitute them. In the usa they are impossible to find fresh. My british husband loves black currant pie.
DeleteThat sounds like a g reat idea Donnac!
DeleteForgive me for 'gilding a lily', but have you tried putting two good sized sprigs of mint in the black currant mix?
ReplyDeleteThat's what my Welsh mother and my Welsh mother in law used to do… believe me, it make it extra delicious
My husband planted 3 current bushes several years ago on our Wisconsin farm. The champagne and red current bushes died after a couple of years but the black current bush is thriving. I have an abundance of berries this year, hence my search for current recipies. The berries exist in the US but likely only as private bushes.
DeleteYou're forgiven David! That sounds delicious! Thanks! I am going to try that this year when my currants ripen! MMM...
ReplyDeleteThank you to both you and David. I entered a black currant pie in the Millarville Fair (think rural Alberta, Canada) I used David's suggestion of mint, as it seemed rather exotic. I got a Second - only because the fulling was too runny. Will use a bit more cornstarch next time. Will continue to use mint though ;)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the ribbon! Way to go Kaab!
ReplyDeleteI followed all the directions, and my pie is runny inside. It did not set?? Any ideas why? You said to serve it warm. When you make yours is it runny inside or jelled? I let mine cool and it's still runny. Is it supposed to be that way?
ReplyDeleteI think it all depends on how juicy your fruit is. I baked a strawberry and rhubarb pie at the weekend and had the same result, a filling that never set and was mostly liquid. I just scooped it out and served it in a bowl with cream poured over top. It was still delicious.
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