Blackcurrant Flummery Pie Recipe
Our sweet shortcrust pastry is so easy to work. Although it lacks the stretch of its gluten-based cousins, you can roll this out and patch any joins together as you go; it’s very forgiving. The topping can be varied according to what soft fruits you have to hand.
Give it a twist
Use chopped strawberries (and strawberry jam) instead of blackcurrants. Sprinkle with crushed freeze-dried strawberries after baking.
makes: 1 x 23 cm/9 in round pie
health: gluten-free
cook: 20-22 minutes
store: best eaten on same day, or overnight in fridge. Freezes well
compost: eggshells, fruit trimmings
SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY
40 g/1½ oz butter, chilled and cubed, plus extra, melted, for brushing
40 g/1½ oz ground almonds
35 g/1¼ oz icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
20 g/¾ oz sorghum flour
20 g/¾ oz tapioca flour, plus extra for dusting
1 egg yolk, plus 1, beaten
½ tsp guar gum
½ tsp salt
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ tbsp whole milk
tapioca flour, for dusting
FILLING AND TOPPING
2 egg whites
50 g/1¾ oz light brown sugar,
plus extra for dredging
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
100 g/3½ oz blackcurrants,
plus a handful to finish
2 tsp lemon juice
225 g/8 oz blackcurrant jam
For the pastry, whizz the butter, almonds, icing sugar, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, 1 egg yolk, guar gum, salt and orange zest in a food processor until a soft dough is formed. Mix in the milk if necessary. Wrap the dough in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line a 23 cm/9 in loose-bottomed tart tin with a disc of baking parchment, then brush with melted butter and dust with tapioca flour.
Dust your hands, rolling pin and work surface liberally with tapioca flour, knead the dough briefly, then form it into a ball. Roll it out and use to line the tin. It’s quite a delicate pastry, but don’t worry if it breaks: you can use your fingers to smooth the joins together. Once in the tin, press the dough up the sides.
Prick all over with a fork and bake for 8 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Brush with beaten egg yolk and bake for a further 2 minutes. Leave to cool.
For the filling, whisk the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Whisk in the sugar and cornflour. Using a fork, partly crush the blackcurrants together with the lemon juice (don’t demolish them entirely), until the juice is oozing. Fold the semi-crushed berries into the egg white mixture.
Spread the cooled pastry base thickly with blackcurrant jam, pushing it up the sides. Spread the egg white-and-blackcurrant mixture over the jam, and scatter a handful of blackcurrants on top. Dredge with brown sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the peaks of the topping turn golden. Serve.
This recipe is taken from Honeybuns Gluten-Free Baking by Emma Goss-Custard, published by Pavilion. Recipe photography Cristian Barnett. For further information about this and other recipes from our book, do take a look at our Book FAQ’s.
