Mulberry custard pie

So, I found that mulberry tree near our house next to an old road. Then an other one, in a park. I immediately had the idea of this pie.

Anyway, mulberries are so amazing. Unfortunately, I don't find mulberry trees very often, and finding the fruit in a shop is absolutely impossible. So if you happen to run into one, definitely go and make this pie! It is so yummy with the creamy vanilla custard. And the whole feeling of going and collecting some wild fruit in a wee basket or bowl is so great, almost magical. I think it makes you appreciate the fruit, thinking that it is a true gift from nature, not something you bought. Okay, I'm starting to be too romantic, let's move on!

I gave up my favorite 3:2:1 recipe this time to try something new I read in a magazine. It was great, but kind of similar to my original one. 

If you can't get mulberries (but please try), you can make this pie with raspberries or blackberries as well.

 scroll down for printable recipe!

300 g flour

200 g butter

100 g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tblsp lemon juice

1 tsp soured cream

350 g mulberries

70 g caster sugar

2 dl water

1 sachet custard powder (49 g)

Put the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Beat it with the icing sugar and egg yolk until pale. Add the flour, salt, lemon juice and baking powder, and mix together with a wooden spoon. Add the soured cream (you can use cream fraiche or yogurt if you want), and incorporate the mixture into a ball using your hand. Add more soured cream if necessary. Cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Mix the mulberries with the caster sugar and cook it on medium heat for 5 minutes. Mix the custard powder with water and add it to the berry mixture. Mix constantly with a wooden spoon until it gets thick (around 5 minutes). Set aside.

Preheat the oven for 180 C. Divide the crust ball into to parts, leaving one of them bigger (2/3 - 1/3). Roll the bigger one on a floured surface. Grease a pie chart (I used a 32 cm wide one) and place the rolled crust in it. Bake for 10 minutes. Pour the mulberry mixture on the crust. Roll the other part as well, and cut 1,5 cm wide stripes. Place them on the berry mixture and bake together for 20 more minutes.

If you can, wait until it cools down, and the filling sets. 

Cheese & onion pie + NEW DESIGN!

Wohoo, new design!

As you have seen, I created new widgets recently with a hand-draw shelf theme. I always ask my friend who's a graphic designer to give me feedback, and she suggested to create the whole layout of the blog like that, so I finally drew the header. I hope you like it! Let's celebrate with pie.

I love this cheese & onion pie since it is soooo easy to make, you don't need any special ingredients, and it is good as a starter, a main or even a side! The crust is my favourite quiche crust, which is so easy to remember - the flour has to be the double of the salted butter so if you use 100 g butter you need 200 g flour etc etc. So easy to remember, and you can always create new variations.

This was made for a small pie chart, if you have a classical one, use 300 g flour and 150 g butter. You also have to cover it, don't forget!

Cheese & onion pie (for a 20 cm pie chart)

200 g flour

100 g salted butter 

1 egg

1 giant leek

100 g cheddar cheese

0,5 dl cream

salt, pepper

1 egg

Cut the butter into small pieces and using your fingertips, mix it with the flour. When it is crumby, add the egg and mix it together. If you don't have an egg, you can use 2 tblsp of water. Wrap it into folpack and put in the fridge for half an hour.

Cut the leek, and grate the cheese. Mix it together with the cream and egg, add salt and pepper (be careful - the crust is already salty!).

Butter the chart and preheat the oven (175 C) Half the dough, make the other half a bit bigger. Use 2/3 of this half to roll a circle for the bottom of the chart. Use the rest 1/3 for the sides. Put parchment paper and baking beans on it and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Wait a little bit so it chills down, then spoon the leek and cheese mixture on it. Roll the other half of the dough, and place it on the top. If it is bigger than the chart, squeeze the edges between the mixture and the baked dough. Otherwise just squeeze it to the baked layer gently with a fork. You may "draw" some marks on top with a knife. Pierce the top dough so the air could come out.

Bake for 35 minutes. Always serve hot! You can heat it up again in the oven or in the microwave.