Cardamom Strawberry & Apple Mini Pies

Aug 11, 2017

Is it entirely blasphemous to say that I was never really all that into strawberries? I’d snack on them if they were sitting in front of me, I’d enjoy them as the garnish, but I was never entirely wowed. Clearly, I had never had a perfectly ripe strawberry before. Which is, undeniably, a huge tragedy. My parents will be getting a strongly worded letter for depriving me. I felt like I’d been hit in the face recently when doing my shopping. How had I lived so long without smelling that fragrant scent? It was so powerful! I followed it all the way to the strawberry section & loaded my basket. I simply had to buy them.

As soon as I got home, I started leafing through cookbooks looking for a good recipe. I was so excited to bake with the strawberries that I knew I couldn’t wait until the next day. It didn’t take long for my interest to be piqued by a recipe in one of my newer cookbooks: My Sweet Kitchen. The combination of cardamom strawberry & apple was something that’d never crossed my mind, but sounded so incredibly delicious. I started baking as soon as I’d finished reading the recipe. Cardamom Strawberry & Apple Mini Pies, here we come!

When the heavenly smell of the baking pies hit me, I knew this was the right decision. Actually, as soon as I’d seen how darn cute they were I knew I’d made the right decision – however irrelevant. The cuteness was just an added bonus; the pies taste just as good as they look. Buttery, crumbly pastry encasing a lightly spiced fruity filling. Cardamom Strawberry & Apple Mini Pies, a revelation.

The most picture perfect pies I’ve ever baked that also happen to taste amazing? I’m sure you can imagine my delight.

P R I N T

Cardamom, Strawberry, & Apple Mini Pies

Busting with fruity flavours and lightly spiced with cardamom, these mini pies are perfect for summer picnics!

Yield: 4 mini pies

Author: Vicki

INGREDIENTS

for the dough

2.5 cups plain flour
1 tbsp icing sugar
10 tbsp salted butter, cold and cubed
2 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 egg
4-5 tbsp ice water

for the filling

700 g strawberries, topped & cut into halves or quarters
2 apples – peeled, cored, cut into same shape as strawberries
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 tbsp cornflour
1/2 lemon, zested
1 tsp ground cardamom

to finish

1 egg white mixed with 2 tsp water, beaten together
demerara sugar, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

First, the crust. Mix together the flour & icing sugar in a medium bowl. Add the butter & use your fingers to combine into crumbs. Add the lemon juice, egg, & water & carefully press/knead the dough together with your hands – if it seems too crumbly then add a little more water. When the dough holds together, wrap in cling film & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease four 5.5-inch pie tins with a little butter & set aside. When ready, divide the dough into four equal sized balls. Individually roll the balls out on a lightly floured surface, & line each of the pie pans with ¾ of the ball, leaving the last ¼ behind for the top. Trim any excess away & add to the saved dough. Return the pie pans & the saved dough tops to the fridge to rest.
Now, the filling. In a large bowl, gently & thoroughly combine all of the ingredients. Divide the filling equally between the four chilled pie crusts & return to the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Cover a baking tray with baking parchment & set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each top crust dough just enough to cover the pies. Brush the edges of the ready made bases with the beaten egg & water mixture & place a top crust on each pie, gently pressing down the edges to seal shut. Brush the entire top of each pie with the egg mixture & sprinkle with some sugar.
Place the pies on the prepared baking tray & bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown & the filling is fragrant & bubbling. Leave to cool slightly before enjoying with some lightly whipped cream!

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!