
Custard and Mixed Berry Hand Pies
Rich and creamy custard with mixed berries in a handy hand held pie.
Quick Stats
Moderate
4 Servings
15 minutes bake time
Custard and Mixed Berry Hand Pies
Rich and creamy custard with mixed berries in a handy hand held pie.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 200 g Jus-Rol sweet shortcrust pastry, chilled
Berry Filling
- 400 g frozen mixed berries
- 75 g sugar
Custard
- 250 g milk
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds only
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 50 g sugar
- 20 g Plain Flour
- 2 tsp cornflour
To Glaze
- 1 Eggs, 1x beaten and 1x whole
- Demerara sugar
Equipment required
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Knife
- Baking tray
- Baking Sheet
Techniques Used
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How to Roll Shortcrust Pastry
How to Roll Shortcrust Pastry
- For best results when rolling out shortcrust pastry use a large, clean dry area of the work surface and lightly dust it with plain flour.
- Place pastry dough on surface and lightly dust it and the rolling pin with flour.
- Roll pastry firmly, always rolling away from you, give the dough 2-3 rolls.
- Then turn the dough a quarter turn.
- Dust again if necessary and continue rolling out, frequently turning the pastry so it is not always rolled in the same direction as this causes shrinkage.
- When the pastry has increased in size, pick it up to turn/ line the tin by rolling it round the rolling pin.
- Lift the pin with the pastry around it carefully and turn it to lay out and continue rolling. Again this is done to prevent the pastry from stretching as you lift it which in turn would result in shrinkage in baking. Shortcrust pastry should be rolled out to approx. 3-5 mm. depth.
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How to Make a Cornish Pasty
How to Make a Cornish Pasty
Divide the block of Shortcrust pastry into six even pieces, roll out each, as described in the ‘Best results for Rolling out Shortcrust Pastry’ pages, large enough to cut out a 17.5 cm/7″ disc. ( Use a plate as a template for this)
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- Lay some thinly sliced potato across centre of one pastry disc.
- Top with diced onion, carrot and/or swede.
- Top with diced steak and season with salt and black pepper.
- Top the meat with further slices of potato to keep in the moisture.
- Brush pastry lightly with beaten egg and bring up sides to meet over the filling.
- Press edges firmly together to seal.
- With a sharp knife knock up edges to complete sealing process.
- Turn pasty at right angles to you and crimp the knocked up edge using your thumb and forefinger of you left hand and the forefinger of the right hand.
- Brush with beaten egg and repeat with all remaining ingredients.
- Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature by 20º and continue cooking for further 20-25 minutes.
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Method
- Begin by making the berry filling. Place the berries and sugar in a pan and cook over a gentle heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid forms a syrup. Set aside and leave to cool completely
- Meanwhile, make the custard. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy, then mix in the plain flour, cornflour and a dash of milk to loosen up the mixture. Whisk until completely combined and set aside
- Place the milk and vanilla seeds in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Quickly whisk in the egg and sugar mixture and continue to heat through until the custard thickens, stirring continuously to help the cornflour cook out
- Once thickened, pour the custard into a deep baking tray or tin and cover with clingfilm – this will help it to cool quicker. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Remove the pastry from the fridge 20 minutes before using to allow it to come to room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and line a large baking tray with baking paper
- Roll the pastry out to a thickness of a pound coin and cut out 4 circles, each about the size of a small side plate or roughly 18cm in diameter
- Spread a layer of the chilled custard over half of each circle, leaving a border. Make a slight indent in the middle of the custard and add a good spoonful of the cooled berries
- Dampen the pastry border with a little water and fold over the plain half to cover the fillings, making a semi-circle shape. Use a fork to seal the edges together, pressing down firmly to create a lined pattern
- Make 3 small slashes with a sharp knife in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape, then brush the tops liberally with the beaten egg to glaze. Sprinkle over a thick coating of Demerara sugar and transfer the pies to the lined tray
- Bake for 10 minutes then turn the oven temperature down to 160°C/gas mark 3 and bake for a further 15 minutes until golden and crisp
- Remove the pies from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes as the filling will be extremely hot. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, or leave to cool completely if not eating straight away