Cherry torte with a crumble topping

So I have 2 lovely cherry trees in my garden, one is for eating!! nomm nomm and one for cooking (if you accidentally eat a cooking one you realise why, just a bit bitter!)

This year is a bumper crop, in one picking I gathered (see am a hunter gatherer type) a colander full of cooking cherries.

 What to cook, don't fancy a cherry pie nor a cake! hmmm lets try a torte

Cherry torte with a crumble topping

Ingredients:

• 140g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp milk
• 85g butter, melted
• 350g juicy, ripe cherries

Topping:

• 25g plain flour
• ¼ tsp mixed spice
• 25g golden caster sugar
• 25g butter, at room temperature, diced

Method:

Preheat oven (I have an electric fan) 160 (conventional 180C/gas 4), grease and line your tin, go with what ever tin you have, cook longer if deeper, less if wider.

 I had to hull my cherries.

Bung (yup a very technical term) self raising flour, caster sugar, egg, mixed spice, (cooled) melted butter into the mixer and whisk, adding the milk spoon by spoon, if mixture is non-batter like add extra milk.

 Spread batter into the lined cake tin.

 Then layer cherries on top.

 In a food mixer, blitz the topping ingredients into a breadcrumb like mixture (or do it by hand if you don't have a blender)

 Then spread the "crumb" on top of the batter/cherry base.

Cook in the oven (middle is best) for 25-35 mins (depending on thickness of cake/oven type) until that darn skewer come clean.

Serve warm with ice cream or cooled with cream xxx

WOW Raspberry meringue pie ...................... just divine

So why not lemon, well my eldest pain in the bum, dislikes anything with lemon flavouring, so thought I would have a go at making a raspberry version.

Raspberry meringue pie

Ingredients:

• shortcrust pastry (shop bought or make your own, tbh its not difficult to make and does not shrink when blind baked as contains less liquid)
• 225 g plain flour
• 100g chilled butter
• 25g icing or caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• chilled water
•  300-400g fresh raspberries
• 300ml water
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 40g cornflour
• 3 egg whites
• 120g caster sugar

Method:

• For the pastry
  1. I use a food processor to make my pastry, so pop the flour and icing sugar into the mixer  add the butter blitz until resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
  2. Add egg yolk and a little water until just comes together (use as little water as possible for the shortest crumbliest pastry).  
  3. Chill for 30 minutes and use to line a 9inch/23cm dish suitable for the type of pudding, I used a flan dish. I found it easier to lightly roll and place in the dish and then patch together using my fingers. Allow the pastry to stand above the sides of the dish (this can be trimmed off after cooking). 
  4. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake blind (fan oven 170) for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans and bake for five more minutes. 
  5. Leave to cool while you make the filling.  
   
  

• For the filling
  1. Buzz the raspberries in the food processor. 
  2. Then press the raspberries through a sieve, you need to squeeze as much juice as possible.
  3. Take some of the juice and blend into the cornflour, then add all of the juice until combined.   
  4. Put the water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 
  5. Pour the raspberry and cornflour mixture into the water whisking continually until it thickens. 
  6. Remove from heat temporarily.
  7. Mix the egg yolks into the sugar and whisk this into the thickened raspberry curd. 
  8. Bring back to the boil whisking all the time. 
  9. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before pouring into the pastry case.
  
   
  
• For the meringue
  1. Heat oven to 130 (fan oven)
  2. I use a stand mixer for this, Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they form stiff peaks.
  3. Whisk in the sugar a dessertspoon at a time.   
  4. Spread over the raspberry custard ensuring there are no gaps and bake for 45 mins until golden beige and crisp.
     

Serve with cream, Ice cream warm or cold, be warned it is seriously lush!