Sweet Pies and Tarts
Cooking Skills: Pastry 1
Chapter 5 · Sweet Pies and Tarts
Skill goal
Bake pastry with fruit and nut fillings so the fruit is cooked, the juices stay in and the base stays crisp.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A sweet pie or tart uses the same pastry, but the filling brings new problems: juice. Fruit gives off water as it cooks, which turns the pastry soggy and bubbles out of the pie. The remedies are the same as before: a hot tray, a thickener such as cornflour or ground almonds mixed with the fruit, and a vent in the lid. A little sugar in the pastry makes it crisper and helps it brown.
Apples are the beginner's fruit because they are firm, hold their shape and keep well. Bramley cooking apples collapse into a fluffy sauce, eating apples hold their shape, and a mix gives both. Pastry cases are covered in Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapters 1 and 2; custard tarts and lemon meringue are in Cooking Skills: Eggs 2, chapters 3 and 6.
The method
- Toss the fruit with sugar and a thickener (cornflour, or ground almonds) just before it goes in, so the juice does not run early.
- Pile the fruit high in the middle, because it shrinks as it cooks and the lid needs support.
- Seal the lid to a wet rim, cut a vent and brush with milk or egg, then sprinkle with sugar for a crunchy top.
- Bake on a hot tray so the base cooks, at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6) for pies, and lower for custardy fillings.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting; the filling needs to set or it runs out.
| Bake | Pastry | Filling | Time (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double-crust apple pie | Base and lid | Apples, sugar, cinnamon | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Fruit galette | One sheet, folded | Plums or berries | 1 hour |
| Bakewell tart | Blind-baked case | Jam and frangipane | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Fruit crumble tart | Blind-baked case | Fruit and crumble | 1 hour 15 minutes |
Hot fruit, steam and nuts
Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.Steam from a hot pie: a pie keeps hot steam and boiling filling inside the crust. Rest it for 10 minutes before cutting, cut from the side with the pie held steady, and keep your face back when you break the lid.
Nuts: Bakewell tart contains almonds, a tree nut. Say so clearly when serving, keep it away from anyone with a nut allergy, and check jam and almond extract labels.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
A double-crust apple pie
The classic. Cook the filling's sugar and apples gently first for a few minutes so they shrink before the lid goes on; otherwise the lid sits on an air gap. Mix a cooking apple with an eating apple for flavour and shape.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 1.5 batches of plain shortcrust (chapter 1), with 1 tbsp caster sugar added to the flour
- 700 g apples (half Bramley, half eating), peeled, cored and sliced
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 egg or a little milk, to glaze
- 1 tbsp caster sugar, to sprinkle
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6) with a tray inside. Toss the apples with the sugar, cornflour, cinnamon and lemon juice. Line a 23 cm pie tin with two thirds of the pastry.
- Pile the apples into the pastry-lined tin, dome them in the middle, wet the rim and lay the lid on. Press, trim, crimp and cut a vent. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake on the hot tray for 40 to 45 minutes until golden and the juices bubble. Rest for 20 minutes.
Hot oven, steam and allergens
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Steam from a hot pie: a pie keeps hot steam and boiling filling inside the crust. Rest it for 10 minutes before cutting, cut from the side with the pie held steady, and keep your face back when you break the lid.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk and egg.
Level 2 · Rustic
A fruit galette
A galette is a pie with no tin. Roll the pastry out, pile fruit in the middle and fold the edge over. Leaving ground almonds under the fruit soaks up the juice. It is meant to look rustic.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 batch of plain shortcrust (chapter 1)
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 500 g plums or berries, stoned and halved
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp caster sugar, to sprinkle
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Roll the pastry into a 30 cm round on baking parchment and slide onto a tray. Scatter the ground almonds over the centre, leaving a 5 cm border.
- Toss the fruit with the sugar and cornflour and pile it on. Fold the border up and over the fruit in loose pleats. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the fruit is bubbling. Slide onto a rack to cool.
Hot oven, hot fruit and allergens
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Nuts: Bakewell tart contains almonds, a tree nut. Say so clearly when serving, keep it away from anyone with a nut allergy, and check jam and almond extract labels.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg and almonds.
Level 2 · Nut
A Bakewell tart
Jam under a soft almond sponge (frangipane) in a crisp case. Blind-bake the case first. Spread the jam thinly: too much boils through the sponge. Flaked almonds on top toast in the oven.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 1 blind-baked sweet case (23 cm; chapter 2)
- 3 tbsp raspberry jam
- 100 g soft unsalted butter
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g ground almonds
- 25 g plain flour
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4). Spread the jam over the base of the case.
- Beat the butter and sugar until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the almonds, flour and extract. Spoon over the jam and smooth, and scatter the flaked almonds on top.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and set; a skewer should come out clean. Cool for 20 minutes.
Hot oven, raw egg and nuts
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Nuts: Bakewell tart contains almonds, a tree nut. Say so clearly when serving, keep it away from anyone with a nut allergy, and check jam and almond extract labels.
Raw dough and raw flour: raw flour and raw egg can carry germs, so don't taste raw pastry or filling that contains raw egg or raw meat. Wash hands, bowls and the worktop afterwards, and keep tasting for the cooked result.
Level 3 · Crumble
A fruit crumble tart
The best parts of a crumble and a tart: a crisp case, tender fruit and a buttery topping. Rub the crumble together like pastry and keep it chunky. Use berries and apples, or any fruit that is not too wet.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 1 blind-baked case (23 cm; chapter 2)
- 500 g apples and blackberries, prepared
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 75 g plain flour
- 50 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 40 g caster sugar
- 25 g rolled oats
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, gas 5). Toss the fruit with 2 tbsp sugar and the cornflour and spoon into the case.
- Rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the 40 g sugar and the oats to make a crumble with some larger lumps. Scatter over the fruit.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges. Cool for 15 minutes.
Hot oven, hot fruit and allergens
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk and oats (which may contain gluten traces).
Experiments
Experiment
Pre-cooking the apples
Air gap.
- Bake one apple pie with raw sliced apples and one with apples simmered for 5 minutes and cooled.
Look for: Raw apples shrink and leave a gap under the lid; pre-cooked apples stay full. Pre-cooking is also quicker in the oven.
Experiment
Sugar in the pastry
Colour and crispness.
- Roll two strips of pastry, one with 1 tablespoon of sugar per batch and one without, and bake.
Look for: The sweet pastry browns faster, is crisper and has more flavour; plain pastry is paler and more savoury.
Experiment
A layer of ground almonds
Soaking juice.
- Make two galettes, one with ground almonds under the fruit and one without.
Look for: The almonds soak up juice and keep the base crisp; without them the base is softer under the fruit.
Experiment
Thickener in the fruit
Runny or set.
- Bake two small fruit pies, one with cornflour and one without, and cut after 15 minutes.
Look for: The cornflour version sets into a glossy filling that holds; the other floods the plate.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple pie | ||||
| Fruit galette | ||||
| Bakewell tart | ||||
| Fruit crumble tart | ||||
| Pre-cooking the apples | ||||
| Sugar in the pastry | ||||
| A layer of ground almonds | ||||
| Thickener in the fruit |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy bottom | Wet fruit or cold tray | Add cornflour or ground almonds; bake on a hot tray |
| Juice leaks out | No vent or not sealed | Cut a vent, press the lid to a wet rim, bake on a tray to catch drips |
| Gap under lid | Raw fruit shrank | Pile higher or pre-cook the fruit |
| Pale top | Oven too cool or no glaze | Brush with egg or milk and sprinkle with sugar |
| Bakewell filling sinks | Underbaked or oven door opened | Bake until a skewer is clean; keep the door closed for 25 minutes |
| Crumble goes pasty | Butter warm or overmixed | Use cold butter and stop when lumpy |
Hot oven, hot fruit and leftovers
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.
Keeping and freezing: raw pastry keeps in the fridge for about 2 days wrapped tightly, and freezes for about 3 months (general guidance). Cooked pies and tarts keep for about 2 days chilled; reheat pies until steaming hot all the way through, and freeze cooked pies for no more than about 2 to 3 months.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can thicken fruit so the juice stays in.
- I can build a double crust over fruit.
- I can fold a free-form galette.
- I can bake a sponge filling in a case.
- I can fix a soggy or leaking pie.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 6 is Ready-Made Puff Pastry: handling bought puff so it rises.