Blackcurrant Pie

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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.

A drink made with blackcurrant cordial would be ideal with these pies.

Blackcurrant pies on a wire rack - one is cut open.

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Where can I find blackcurrants?
Step by step instructions
Frequently asked questions
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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'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.

Adding and scoring the tops of individual deep-filled fruit pies

Pie lovers shouldn't miss my apple and blackberry crumble pie or my vegan apple pie. Both are guaranteed crowd-pleasers.

Where can I find blackcurrants?

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 cooler months try the freezer department, especially in farm shops. They are a great fallback when a craving for apple and blackcurrant crumble hits in the dead of winter.

Step by step instructions

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 tablespoon 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.

Child spooning fruit sauce into pastry cases.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make one large blackcurrant pie from this recipe?

Of course, the recipe can also make one large blackcurrant pie rather than individual pies. Use a 20cm pie tin for this.

Can I use frozen blackcurrants in blackcurrant pie?

Yes, you can. This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen blackcurrants.

What should I serve with my deep-filled blackcurrant 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.

Can I use tinned blackcurrant pie filling to make blackcurrant pie?

There is nothing to stop you using store-bought blackcurrant pie filling, however, the fruit content is likely to be much lower than if you follow the recipe here. The tinned pie filling may also be much funnier as a result.