Mango Pie

Picture coconut and palm trees swaying in the breeze on a summer day, green fields of paddy and a bounty of tropical fruits. My favourite is mango. Dive into this scrumptious mango pie and let it transport you to the tropics.

Every summer I love to experiment with mangoes. There are so many varieties in India. Unfortunately, due to the lock down here I missed the early season. But I was able to make up for it later and try out a few recipes and this pie is just divine.

Mango is a low-calorie fruit that is high in fibre, and is a great source of Vitamins A and C. It also contains folate, B6, iron and a little calcium, zinc and vitamin E. Mangoes a re a good source of antioxidants, containing certain phytochemicals such as gallotannins and mangiferin which have been studied for their health benefits.

If you want to prepare the shortcrust pastry from scratch (as I did), I suggest that you do it on the previous day and refrigerate it overnight, by wrapping it in cling film.

The following link provides a video on how to peel a mango, cut the flesh into pieces and remove the stone. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/techniques/how-prepare-mango

PREP: 30 minutes COOK TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

5 ripe mangoes, sliced

1 10-inch unbaked pie shell

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp cornflour

A pinch of salt

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup heavy cream

11/4 tsp vanilla

4 tsp butter

½ cup walnuts, chopped coarsely

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220 C.

Arrange the mangoes in the pie shell. Mix sugar, cornflour, salt and spices. Blend the egg, cream and vanilla and add the sugar mixture gradually. Mix well and pour over the mangoes. Dot with butter and scatter the walnuts on top. Bake for 10 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 180C. Bake for a further 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coconut Pie

Buttery, crumbly home-made shortcrust pastry, encasing a luscious, creamy coconut filling – it’s pure indulgence. It just dissolves on the tongue and the taste is just divine.

A great project for a rainy afternoon, it’s not hard to make this pie. It makes for a lovely home-made gift though I love to serve it with coffee after a meal.

It was my sweet tooth that took me to the kitchen initially and though I love cooking with vegetables and savoury ingredients, I must admit that these sweet treats are my absolute favourites.

Warm from the oven, rich and velvety – what could be more comforting than a pie?

This recipe makes an 8 inch pie.

PREP: 40 minutes COOK TIME: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

• 11/2 cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup butter
• 3-4 tbsp cold water
• 1 large coconut, grated
• 11/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 60 gms butter

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Grease an 8 inch pie pan or use a non-stick pie pan.

Sift the flour with the salt. Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cold water and mix gently until the dough comes together and can be shaped into a ball. Cover with cling film and rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Roll the pastry on a floured surface about an eighth of an inch thick. Line the pie pan and bake blind until the pastry is lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

For the filling, mix the coconut, sugar and water in a pan and boil gently for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the eggs and butter. Scoop into the piecrust and bake for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy.

Apple and Cottage Cheese Pie

A very light and nourishing pie, not overly sweet and suitable for everyday cooking.

I have used the Indian cheese called Paneer. It is combined with shortcrust pastry, apples, cinnamon and coconut. It’s quite simple to make and extremely moreish. The paneer filling gives the pie a creamy flavour.

PREP: 45 minutes COOK TIME: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients

• 120 gms flour
• 60 gms cold butter
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• ! tbsp cold water

Filling

• 200 gms paneer
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• ¼ cup milk

Topping

• 2 apples, cored and sliced
• 4 tbsp coconut, grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Grease and flour an 8 inch pie dish.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Sift the flour with the salt. Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, lime juice and the water until the mixture just adheres together. Roll into a ball and refrigerate covered in cling film for 20 minutes.

Roll the pastry out into ¼ inch thickness and line the pie dish. Bake blind for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Blend all the ingredients for the filling in a blender and spread it in the pastry shell.

Mix the coconut, cinnamon and sugar together. Place the sliced apples on the paneer filling and sprinkle the coconut mixture on top. Bake for about 20 minutes until the sugar has melted and the top is golden.