Monday 14 July 2014

Cherry Banana Mini Pies


Did you know this Wednesday is a special day? Well, aside from it being my birthday(!) July 16th also happens to be National Cherry Day.

When I was sent a cherry pitter from the good people at OXOGood Grips, I knew exactly what I wanted to make with cherries.

shortcrust pies filled with cherries and banana


A delicious pie baked with the flavour of cherries AND bananas. It’s a flavour combo I’ve been thinking of for a while. I figured the sweetness of the cherries and bananas would make for a really sweet tangy pie.

Instead of one big pie, I decided to make individual pies instead. I used a large muffin pan which housed the individual pies perfectly. And I cheated – I admit, I used shop-bought short-crust pastry. If you want to make your own, grab the recipe here. But when time is tight, I always used pre-made pastry.



I had never used a cherry pitter before but found it very easy to use. Without one pitting the 200 grams of cherries I used would have been a nightmare. But pop a cherry into the gadget and you are done in no time at all. The pitter is also good for olives too btw.



I made a thick cherry pie filling and let it cool before adding banana as I didn’t want the banana to cook down before going into the oven.




I made a cute lattice top for the pies from the pastry which let the fruit juices bubble up to reveal the flavours going on inside. Here’s how I made them.



print recipe

Cherry Banana Mini Pies
Individual shortcrust pies, filled with a thick cherry and banana fruity filling.
Ingredients
  • 1 roll Shortcrust Pastry
  • 200 grams Pitted Cherries
  • 2 medium Bananas
  • 55 grams Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon Juice
  • 2 tablespoons Cornflour
  • 100 ml Water
  • 1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract
  • 1 tablespoon Milk
  • 1 tablespoon Sugar Crystals
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200c and grease four cups of a large muffin tin. Cut the pitted cherries into quarters and place in a large saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, cornflour, water and almond extract. Bring the mix to the boil, stirring constantly then reduce and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile slice the banana in discs and quarter each disc. Remove the cherry mix from the heat and stir in the banana. Allow the mix to cool whilst you prepare the pie shells. Cut circles of pastry large enough to fill each muffin cup. Spoon the pie filling into each well, so that it is slightly heaping. Make the lattice topping by weaving strips of leftover pastry, the cutting out with a pastry cutter, the size of each muffin cup. Transfer the lattice top to each pie and press the top and the sides together slightly. Lastly wash the pastry tops with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar crystals. Place the pies into the oven for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing them from the muffin tray. Enjoy.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 mini pies

shortcrust pies filled with cherries and banana

And here are some other cherry recipes, from well-known bloggers, to get you inspired for National Cherry Day:

Kavey Eats: Homemade White Cherry Rum Liqueur
Maison Cupcake: Cherry Meringue Pie
Veggie Desserts: Black Forest Cherry Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Franglais Kitchen: Sour Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Food to Glow: Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis
The Botanical Baker: Cherry and Almond Muffins
Fab Food 4 All: Cherzipan Cake
Fuss Free Flavours: Black Cherry Syllabub



I'm entering this bake into this month's Biscuit Barrel Challenge, hosted by Laura over at I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is In-Season Fruit, which cherries are! As these are mini pies they would fit, rather messily, into a biscuit barrel!



Disclosure Statement: I received the cherry pitter free to review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

34 comments:

  1. I want a cherry pitter !! Must confess to using tinned cherries for this very reason sometimes. Plus one cannot play penny can with the pips otherwise! Love the lattice work on these too. So pretty.

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    1. It's great gadget Urvashi - good for the olives too - if only I liked them!

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  2. Oooh. How gorgeous are these? Love the idea of banana and cherry. Never had it before but I'm really intrigued. Love the pastry too

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    1. Thanks Dom, you have to give cherries and banana a try - it's my new favourite flavour combo!

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  3. These look amazing. A really great mix of flavours. I had no idea that Wednesday was such an important day ;) Will have to make a cherry clafoutis to celebrate. And many happy returns in advance :)

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    1. Aw, thanks Luca - I am counting in reverse now, with regards age lol!

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  4. What can I say? I LOVE these. A brilliant flavour combination and the lattice work finishes them so well =)

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    1. Glad you like and that they are okay for The Biscuit Barrel Laura!

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  5. I don't think I've ever eaten cherry and banana together, but I'd like to try it now. The little lattice on the top of these is just so CUTE! Love the look of the pitter too. I love cherries but the stones can be a big pain

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    1. You have to get one of these pitters Kevin, saves soooo much time!

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  6. Oh my goodness. So pretty. Nice idea and I love the pastry - so neat. If I had a lattice top I am sure the lattice would be covered in filling. This sounds a great idea.

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    1. To be honest the top was a bit fiddly Nazima, but worth it I think, thank you.

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  7. Delicious! I've be tempted to use jarred cherries in kirsch!

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    1. Good idea - alcohol does seem to make it's way into a lot of your bakes Helen lol!

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  8. These are so cute! I puffy heart them <3

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  9. Well that certainly takes the work out of cherries and happy birthday for tomorrow. These look yum by the way!

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    1. Cheers Jac! We'll have a celebratory drink when you are back!

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  10. These are so cute! Little pies sweet or savory always make me think of country picnics! Hope you have a great birthday tomorrow!!

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    1. Thanks Lisa and I know what you mean about picnics!

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  11. What pro looking wee pies! I have an old-fashioned olive stoner/cherry pitter that I adore. So useful! You will get a lot of use out of your new stoner. Mine is old enough that it is probably made of something toxic! I have never seen cherry and banana as a combo in pies. Intriguing :-)

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    1. This flavour combo does seem to have intrigued a few folk! You'll have to try it Kellie. I hope your pitter isn't made of anything bad - eek!!

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  12. These are looking really good. I've been out at the local PYO picking cherries today but I admit that I'd never thought of the cherry and banana combo. Sounds good to me. Have a happy birthday and a suitably sweet National Cherry Day.

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    1. Thanks Phil, it was a good day. Feeling older today!

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  13. Mmmmm cherry pie - such a classic and paired with banana sounds lush! Happy Birthday - hope you're having a lovely day :-)

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  14. Very impressive lattice work there! :-)

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  15. I love little pies Stuart and these look beautiful!!

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