Deep-Filled Blackcurrant Pies

Blackcurrant Pies are the perfect marriage of a sweet, tart & jammy homemade blackcurrant filling paired with crisp, golden homemade pastry.  My pies are deep filled for an extra bite of fruitiness. Eat them on their own – warm or cold – or elevate them into dessert status by serving with cream, custard or ice cream. Blackcurrant pie is sweet comfort food at its best.

When it comes to baking a pie, I often prefer to stick to the classics, since I find simple fruit pies homely and comforting. These Deep Filled Blackcurrant Pies are fine examples of the type of pie I’m likely to bake.

Fruit pies and the little black dress have a lot in common. Both are timeless, often making appearances in restaurants or cosy suppers with friends and they can re-invent themselves so many times that they will never go out of fashion.

I grew up in an era when Mr Kipling ruled the supermarket shelves with his Individual Cherry Bakewells and Deep Filled Pies. It’s Mr K’s pies that are really the inspiration behind my Blackcurrant Pies.

If I’m being honest though, I’m really not sure if my kids have ever had a Mr Kipling pie as we always bake our own.

We bake just about everything we can ourselves. That’s partly because I love to bake and so do my kids. But it’s also because we don’t eat sugary desserts everyday. So when it comes to treat time, I make sure we indulge in style.

So move over Mr Kipling. I’m talking about lightly, crisp, homemade pastry sweetened with just a little touch of sugar and then filled with a sweet, tart, deep purple blackcurrant compote. That’s the right way to make a blackcurrant pie.

Where can I find this Fruit?

Blackcurrants in the UK are synonymous with summer. And it is a flavour British people are more than familiar with. Over my blogging years though, I’ve noticed that Americans have rarely heard of them. So I decided to delve into why.

I have a bit of bad news for my US readers. Blackcurrants are not widely available in America at present. They were farmed in the US until the early 1900s. At this point, blackcurrants were considered a threat to the U.S. logging industry, so a ban on growing them was imposed.

They are no longer considered a threat but the federal ban that curtailed currant production nationally for nearly a century has left a lasting mark. Blackcurrants remain largely unknown in the United States.

I do have a tiny bit of good news thought. The federal ban was lifted in New York State in 2003 and currant growing is making a comeback in New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Oregon – look out for these classic beauties if you are in the area. 

In the UK blackcurrants are widely available through the summer months. Find them at Pick Your Own Farms, farm shops and supermarkets. And in the colour months try the freezer department, especially in farm shops.

How to Make Individual Blackcurrant Pies

Prepare the Blackcurrants

The first stage in making blackcurrant pie is to prepare the jammy blackcurrant filling:

• Put the fruit, sugar and cornflour into a saucepan and cook over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes
• As they cook, squish the blackcurrants a little with the back of the spoon
• When the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has turned into a thick jammy consistency it’s ready

Some people fuss about topping and tailing blackcurrants before cooking with them. Honestly, I think life is too short.

Whenever I make blackcurrant jam or these individual pies I just give them a rinse and quickly remove any green stems. Then I get on with the cooking. I’ve had no complaints yet.

Make the Pastry

The next stage is the pastry making. I use a simple shortcrust pastry here and sweeten it with a little bit of sugar. There are just 4 steps to follow:

• Cube the butter and drop it into the bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• Add 4 tbsp iced water and mix with a blunt knife. Add a little more water if the dough feels too dry
• Use your hands to bring the mixture together and knead briefly and gently until the dough is smooth
• Flatten the pastry, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge

Once the pastry has chilled it can be rolled out and cut into circles to fit your tin. 

Since I’m verging on greedy, I make these individual pies in a muffin tin so that I can pile a large amount of that luscious jammy blackcurrant filling into each pie.

And I really don’t worry if a little of that filling oozes out of a few pies. I think a little mess adds to the homemade charm of these blackcurrant pies.

Can I Make One Large Pie Instead?

Of course, the recipe can also make one large blackcurrant pie rather than individual pies.

Use a 20cm pie tin for this.

What Should I Serve with These Fruity Pies?

Enjoy these blackcurrant pies just as they are or serve them with cream, ice cream or custard to turn them into a comforting full-blown dessert.

For the ultimate indulgent treat a scoop of clotted cream works wonders. This rich cream cuts through the acidity and sweetness of the blackcurrant pie filling superbly.

These deep filled individual blackcurrant pies are straightforward, honest home baking at it’s best.

Are you looking for more blackcurrant recipes?

How about these drinks:

• Blackcurrant Cordial with Vanilla
• Blackcurrant Mojito with Vanilla
• Coffee with Blackcurrant & Almond
• Refreshing Coconut Blackcurrant Smoothie
• Blackcurrant Smoothie with Mango & Mint

Deep-Filled Blackcurrant Pies

Jane Saunders

These Deep Filled Blackcurrant Pies are the perfect marriage of sweet, tart jammy blackcurrant pie filling generously piled into crisp, golden homemade pastry. Eat them on their own – warm or cold – or elevate them into dessert status by serving with cream, custard or ice cream. These pies are sweet comfort food at their best.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 12 Pies

Calories: 336kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  12 Hole Cupcake Tin

Ingredients

Blackcurrant Pie Filling

• ▢ 350 g/ 12 1/2 oz Blackcurrants (fresh or frozen – thawed)
• ▢ 175 g/ 7/8 cup/ 6oz White sugar
• ▢ 3 1/2 tsp Cornflour/ cornstarch (rounded)

Pastry

• ▢ 400 g/ 3 1/4 cups/ 14 oz Plain (all purpose) flour
• ▢ Large pinch salt
• ▢ 4 tbsp Caster sugar (plus a little extra for dusting)
• ▢ 200 g/ 7/8 cup/ 7 oz Unsalted butter – cold
• ▢ 6 tbsp Iced water
• ▢ 1 Egg – beaten

Instructions

Blackcurrant Pie Filling

• Put the fruit, sugar and cornflour into a saucepan
• Cook on a moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5-10 minutes. As they cook, squish the blackcurrants a little with the back of the spoon
• When the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has turned into a thick jammy consistency remove from the heat and let cool completely

Make the Pies

• Put the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl and stir briefly
• Cube the butter and drop it into the bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• Add 4 tbsp iced water and mix with a blunt knife. Add a little more water if the dough feels too dry
• Use your hands to bring the mixture together and knead briefly and gently until the dough is smooth
• Flatten the pastry, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge
• Preheat the oven to 175C/ 325F/ GM3
• Roll the pastry out on a floured worktop to a thickness of 2-3mm
• Cut out 12 large circles to line your muffin tin holes (see notes for details) and 12 smaller circles big enough to cover the tops. Re-roll the pastry if necessary
• Gently push the larger circles into the wells of the muffin tin and spoon the cooled blackcurrant pie filling into each pie – around 2/3 – 3/4 full
• Use a little beaten egg to wet the rim of the remaining circles and press these onto the pies to form the lid. Ensure there are no gaps between the two layers of pastry
• Use a knife to cut a small pattern into the rim of each pie and cut a little slit in the circle to allow air to escape
• Brush the top of each pie with beaten egg and sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown
• Allow to cool in the tin before removing. Any pies that are stuck in the holes can be loosened with a slim knife
• Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze

Notes

To ensure a perfect fit, I used a piece of string to measure from one side of the pie/ muffin cavity, down into the hole and back out to the top of the other side. I then measured this length against a ruler.

My muffin tins required circles of 11cm diameter. That was larger than any pie cutter I had, so I improvised with a kitchen bowl and cut around it.

These pies have a homemade appearance. A little leakage of the filling will happen on some of the pies, but I like that. It shows they are handmade.

Nutrition Per Serving (Approximate)

Calories:336kcal | Carbohydrates:49g | Protein:4g | Fat:14g | Saturated Fat:9g | Cholesterol:43mg | Sodium:123mg | Potassium:134mg | Fiber:1g | Sugar:19g | Vitamin A:493IU | Vitamin C:53mg | Calcium:26mg | Iron:2mg

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