Sour Cherry Pie {Meggyes Pite}

This is my take on the traditional Sour cherry Pie, a favourite during the early summer months in Hungary. Also, one of my MIL's favourite fruit in desserts. Since the weather dropped 10°c overnight, I thought I'd bake one pie for my MIL when she was visiting this weekend.

There are simply too many variations of this pie found online ; however, I'm too lazy to follow any new recipe at the moment, I've actually just used my tried and tested pastry recipe combined with a simple sour cherry compote.

Sour Cherry Pie {Meggyes Pite}

For pastry { source : nami-nami }
100gm butter, room temperature
50 gm sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
175gm flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

For the compote
1x450gm jar of preserved sour cherries, stoned and drained
3 - 4 Tbsp of sour cherry juice from preserve
1 sachet vanilla sugar
3 Tbsp sugar, or to taste
1/2 lemon zest
few drop of lemon juice
2 Tsp flour or corn starch, mix with a little water to use as thickener
Bread crumbs

Steps
1) For the filling the filling:
In a saucepan, pour-in  the sour cherries , add 3-4 Tbsp of the preserve liquid, vanilla sugar, 3 Tbsp sugar or to your taste. Cook cherries until boiling, reduce heat and pour in the a little by little flour/corn starch to thicken the liquid. Continue to cook until re-boil and liquid thickens, squeeze in the lemon juice. Let it simmer a little and switch off the heat. Let it cool completely before using it as filling. You can make this ahead of time and keep it in fridge until you need it.


2) For pastry dough :-
With an electric mixer mix butter, sugar and egg until light and creamy. Mix the dry ingredients, then pour into the batter (wet) mixture. Do not over mixed, just until the dough comes together. Put into the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

3) Start pre-heat oven after dough has rested for 15 mins. Set oven at 180°c / Gas mark 3.

Grease baking dish* well.
*Baking dish
I like using my rectagular 18x24cm dish as I am baking a close pie with top and bottom layer but you may use a 26 cm springform tin to bake a open pie.

After 30 mins. of resting. Take out dough from fridge.

Assembly :-
If you're making a close pie, divide dough into 2 and press down the bottom layer by using your hand.
Pour filling over bottom layer and sprinkle with some bread crumbs to absorb some of the excess liquid
Roll out the second half of the dough and cover the top.

Bake for 20 mins. or until pastry is golden brown.