Autumnal Custard & Cardamom Plum Hand Pies
It’s such a treat to have something so rustic and beautiful bubbling away in the oven. With their rich buttery aromas wafting through the house, I can’t think of a more perfect excuse to spend the day tinkering around your kitchen. I’ve paired a silky vanilla bean custard and honey cardamom plum compote for a lovely seasonal filling. I’ve used Erin McDowell’s famous pie dough as you can’t beat it! I love these for breakfast, an afternoon pick me up or dessert.
Ingredients - makes 6 large Hand Pies
Pie Dough: - find Erin McDowell’s original recipe here
300g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
225g unsalted butter, cold - cubed
120ml ice cold water
1 egg for egg wash
Demerara sugar, to sprinkle
Plum Compote:
400g ripe plums, chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
65g honey
a squeeze of lemon juice
6 cardamom pods, crushed
Custard:
180ml double cream
180ml whole milk
1/2 vanilla pod
4 medium egg yolks
2 tsp cornflour
45g caster sugar
Method
For the pie dough: (I like to make mine the day before)
Place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix. Toss the butter through the flour until coated. Press the butter between your fingers into flat pieces. Continue to rub the butter into the flour until most of it is the size of peas (a few pieces can be slightly bigger.) Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in all of the cold water. Toss the mixture together until it starts to form a dough. Continue to add a tbsp of water at a time while gently kneading together. Once your dough is hydrated and forms a ball, cut into two equal pieces, pat into flat discs and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once rested, roll the pastry onto a lightly floured surface until 1cm thick. Dust off any excess flour from the surface of the dough and fold it in half. Fold the dough in half again so that it has been folded into quaters. Roll the dough out again and repeat the folds. Wrap the dough back in its clingfilm and refrigerate for at least another hour. Repeat with the second piece of pie dough.
For the plum compote:
Place all the ingredients into a saucepan over low heat. Cook the plums down, stirring often, for about 20-30 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the plums have completely broken down. You should have a thick, colourful compote. Pour into a container, cover and refrigerate until cold. Remove the cardamom pods once chilled if they bother you.
For the custard:
Place the double cream, milk and split vanilla pod and seeds into a saucepan over low heat. Mix the cornflour and sugar together before pouring over the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks together with the dry ingredients until well combined. Don’t let the sugar sit on the eggs or it will ‘burn’ them, causing them to form a skin and go clumpy.
Once the milk is just about simmering, pour a third of it over the yolks while whisking. Pour this back into the rest of the hot milk and whisk together. Place the custard over low heat, stirring continuously until it starts to bubble. Once it starts bubbling, whisk it for approx. 1 minute until it coats the back of a spoon and the cornflour has cooked out. Pour into a container, place clingfilm on the surface and refrigerate until completely cold.
Assembly:
Take one of the portions of pie dough and roll it onto on a lightly floured surface to a 2mm thickness. It should be at least 30x25cm. Cut six rectangles at 11x8cm. You should have some excess dough for the leaves to be cut from. Place all the cut dough onto a baking tray and put them into the fridge while you prepare the rest of the dough.
Roll out the second portion of pie dough to at least 30x30cm. Cut six rectangles at 12x9cm. These are slightly bigger (to accommodate the filling) and will be the tops of your pies. Place these into the fridge and cut all of your autumnal leaves from the excess pastry.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the custard and plum compote into separate piping bags. Lay the 11x8cm bottom six pieces of pie dough onto the baking tray. Whisk a whole egg for your egg wash. Egg wash the edges of each of the pies. Pipe a layer of the custard over each of the pies, leaving a 1cm boarder around each side. Pipe a layer of the plum compote on top of the custard. Gently lay the top pieces of pie dough over the top and press the edges so that they are sealed with the bottom pieces of dough. Using a floured fork, press down on all of the edges to seal. Egg wash the top of the pies and lay your pie dough leaves on top. Egg wash again before placing in the freezer for 5 minutes to set the egg wash.
Once chilled, use a knife to carve in any details you’d like on the leaves. Return the pies to the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Pre-heat the oven to 210°C.
Sprinkle the pies with demerara sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before eating. Best eaten on the day but still good the next!
