Metis® is a new premium fruit to hit the shelves of the UK this year! A wonderful mix of flavours from plum and apricot, juicy and crunchy with some beautiful colours ranging from deep reds to warm oranges and brighter tones. There are 4 different ones to choose from, each with their own unique flavour and visual profile!
Here I have used Metis® Safari Star which has the most beautiful fusion of colours from deep reds to yellows and oranges when you slice through the flesh, exposing a burst of colour from the skin to core.
Baking is food preparation which should be done when you have a little more time, say for example on a rainy day after a family walk or one of those days the temperature lends itself to staying warm and cosy inside next to a roaring fire!
I love the therapeutic nature of baking, especially rolling pastry or kneading bread. You can almost zone out and become completely engrossed in the whole task. Pop some soothing music on the radio and I am in kitchen heaven! It’s a great way to practice mindfulness through cooking – become emersed in the processed and concentrate on the detail. Cooking with love is also a really lovely ingredient to add, especially with baking, because often, sweet goods are shared with friends and family and you can be thinking of the happy times ahead when everyone is enjoying a slice of what you have made, whilst creating the whole dish.
After all, it’s what life is all about isn’t it – love, sharing, good food and memory-making…..
When you first read the instructions to make the lattice effect on the pie, you may feel a little over-whelmed but take it slow, think it through in your head before rushing in and it really is very easy once you get the hang of it.
There are many ways to top a pie but I love the detail of the lattice effect so have a go and practice makes perfect 😉
Sometimes, pastry has a mind of it’s own so do not worry if it breaks apart whilst preparing or cooking, the rustic effect is all part of it’s charm! Homemade desserts always taste better than shop-bought ones – think about the ones your granny used to make – there’s just something that extra special about home-made things over shop-bought ones, they have a special ingredient in them no manufacturing, conveyer belt of cake making machines can ever provide!
Enjoy!
Joanne x
Metis® Fruit & Thyme Baked Shortcrust Lattice Pie
Equipment
- 32cm diameter pie dish
Ingredients
- 800 g pre-made shortcrust pastry
- 600 g Metis® fruit sub for a different stone fruit (apricot, plum or peach) if unavailable
- 100 g coconut sugar
- 1 lemon - juice of 1 whole
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 heaped TBSP cornflour
- 1 TBSP dried thyme
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- It's best to have your pastry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to rolling it as it will be softer and easier to work with, so take it out of the fridge to bring to room temp, around 30 minutes before you expect to roll it.
FILLING
- Wash the fruit then chop into small chunks, removing the stone from the middle. Place into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, dried thyme and salt to the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the filling mixture into the centre of the pie dish.
PASTRY
- Sprinkle some flour on a clean work surface and place the pastry on top, dust with a little more flour to prevent sticking to the rolling pin.
- Aim to roll the pastry about 2cm thick. You will also need the length to be as long as the diameter of the dish you are using. This recipe calls for a pie dish 32cm diameter so the length of my pastry is 32cm long when rolled. Adjust these measurements if you are using a different size of pie dish.
- Use a ruler or your eye to judge where to cut the pastry length-ways in equal strips. I cut the pastry to 6cm wide for each strip but you can cut the strips to any width you prefer. Just ensure you have enough to cover the width of the pie dish 2x.
- Use the remaining pastry to roll out a thin strip which you will insert around the edge of the pie dish to finish it off. It does not have to be one long strip, you can roll several smaller strips and simply join them together by pressing with your fingers.
LATTICE
- Ensure that the pie filling is evenly spread so that you do not have any sticking up which may poke through the pastry.
- To make the lattice effect for the pie topping, lay the pieces from top to bottom, leaving a slight overhang over the pie dish (this will be snipped and tucked in).
- Next, fold lengths 2 and 4 back over themselves to half way and add a strip from left to right. Now fold strips 2 and 4 back into place over the horizontal strip - you will now see the lattice/weave effect taking shape.
- Do the same but this time, fold back strips 1 and 3, insert the horizontal strip from left to right, then fold strips 2 and 3 back into place.
- Turn the pie dish around and do the same as above.
- Now, use scissors to carefully snip off any extra length from each piece, but leave enough to be able to tuck each length inside the pie dish.
- Now, use the extra piece of pastry you rolled, to create a neat edge all around the edges of the pie dish (see pic for inspiration).
- Brush the top of the pastry with a little oil.
COOK
- Place the completed pie in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for 30-35 mins until golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.