• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Wild Food
  • Events & Reviews
  • Travel
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

Pear and Damson Lattice Pie

September 20, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 25 Comments

You know when you’ve just always wanted to make something? I’ve always wanted to try a lattice pie; one with lovely red fruit under the interwoven top. I imagined it would be assembled in a cloud of flour with pastry flying all over the place while I tried to weave the lattice. I envisaged having to try and find my inner Mr Tickle. In reality it was a comparatively calm affair with only slight frowning during the construction. 
Pear and Damson Lattice Pie - finished
Some people, I like to think of them as having iron teeth, will happily eat a damson just as it is. I find them far too sour; comparative to eating a stick of rhubarb, and so cook mine (or mix them with gin) to encourage their flavour with a little sugar. Damsons are rock hard plums with a lovely deep purple skin. I have been lucky to find some growing nearby but they are so high up only some enthusiastic tree shaking would get them down. I think I’d get some funny looks. Luckily my greengrocer has ample damsons and also (of benefit to the finished pie) some unripe pears.
damsons

You will need:

Large handful damsons, stones removed
3 unripe pears
Sugar
250g plain flour
125g cold butter
A few spoons of cold water
1 beaten egg
pears

Put the damsons into a pan with a spoonful of sugar and a little water and heat them gently so they start to soften. While they are cooking, peel and dice the pears and then add them to the damsons. You want to keep them on a heat where the fruit makes gentle pfft pfft noises as it cooks, lid on, for about 20 minutes. You might need to add a little more water if the fruit starts to catch. After 20 minutes give the fruit a little squidge with a masher to puree it a little, keep a few lumps though. Taste it and add more sugar if you think it needs it. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, you don’t want much moisture left in the pan.

Pear and Damson Lattice Pie - fruit mix

While the fruit is cooking, mix the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then add drops of cold water until it forms a dough. Put the dough in to the fridge for half an hour. I wasn’t sure whether to blind bake the pastry or not as I didn’t want a soggy bottom (who does?) but I took a risk with this pie and did not blind bake it.

Line a greased 20cm loose bottomed tart tin with half the pastry and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Put the lined tin in to the fridge and turn the oven on to 180C. While the fruit is still cooling and the pastry is chillaxing you can make the lattice. Roll the other half of the pastry out nice and thin and cut in to strips; I ended up with 10 strips. Make the lattice by laying half of the strips horizontally on a sheet of greaseproof paper and then interweave the other strips going over one and under the other (see picture). 
Pear and Damson Lattice Pie - making the lattice top

When the fruit is cool, put it into the pastry case. Then, quickly but bravely flip the lattice on top of the pie. Hesitation at this point will only increase any nervousness and so be bold, be fearless and commit to the flipping otherwise you might overshoot your pie and end up with your beautifully arranged lattice in a tangle. Press the edges of the lattice in to the edges of the pastry and remove any excess. Give the pastry a quick eggy wash and then put it into the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Pear and Damson Lattice Pie - before baking

I like to think of this lattice pie as a diet pie; it’s full of fruit and because the top is barely even half covered in pastry it’s half the calories! At least, that’s what I convinced myself as I reached for the second slice. I was a little concerned about using the under ripe pears in this dish but it actually turned out to be a stroke of genius. It meant that the pears, despite the stewing, mashing and baking, kept their shape and slight crunch which added another dimension to the texture of the pie.

Pear and Damson Lattice Pie - finished

For something that I had always wanted to try that had a bit of a reputation for being difficult I was pretty impressed. I knew I wanted to use damsons and pears together and making pastry (after much practice) is now a doddle. This pie even remained crisp and unsoggy-bottomed overnight in the fridge and was enjoyed as part of a picnic the next day. Perhaps not absolutely perfect it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Other posts you might like

  • Damson Gin - steeping
    Damson Gin - how to make it
  • Millionaire's Tart
    Millionaire's Tart
  • baked damson and apple crumble
    Damson and Apple Crumble

Filed Under: Autumn, Baking, Dairy & Eggs, Damson, Eggs, Foraging, Fruit, Pastry, Pear, Pie, Pudding, Recipes By Month, Seasons, September, Tart Tagged With: Baking, pie, pudding, recipe

« The Bell at Boxford
My first published food photo »

Comments

  1. mylittleitaliankitchen says

    September 20, 2012 at 12:36

    Looks wonderful this pie. I like its rustic look and the fruit you have used.

    Reply
  2. awholeplotoflove says

    September 20, 2012 at 12:55

    Very autumnal looking. I bet it would be lovely with some cream.

    Reply
  3. rita cooks italian says

    September 20, 2012 at 13:01

    This is how the Italian pies look like! We call them ‘crostate’. I’ve tried several times to bake crostate but I’ve never been successful. Believe me this pie looks WONDERFUL (WARM colours too).

    Reply
  4. Soni says

    September 20, 2012 at 13:52

    Very intrigued by damsons!!!Have to look for them :)The lattice pie looks delish!Perfect for this weather!!Wish I could taste it 🙂

    Reply
  5. Mark Willis says

    September 20, 2012 at 14:41

    I beg to differ: Damsons should not be rock-hard if they are properly ripe – certainly not like sloes! They make fantastic jam too. Your tart is worthy of the Great British Bakeoff!

    Reply
  6. Laura loves cakes says

    September 20, 2012 at 16:36

    This looks lovely…I’m am indeed impressed! Love the sound of those Damosons and Pears together and it looks really striking with the lattice. Pastry lattice is also on my too make list…I must get round to trying it! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Marina@Picnic at Marina says

    September 20, 2012 at 17:02

    Caroline, it is fantastic! I love-love-love it! There’s never too much pie for me… 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jenn Kendall says

    September 20, 2012 at 19:03

    it looks so lovely, delicious, and rustic – i love it!

    Reply
  9. Medeja says

    September 20, 2012 at 23:47

    I always wanted..and still want.. to make many things! 🙂

    Yous pie looks so yummy! the color is just great!

    Reply
  10. Tania @ A Perfect Pantry says

    September 20, 2012 at 23:59

    What a gorgeous looking pie. I can just imagine how delicious it tastes.

    Reply
  11. Ames says

    September 21, 2012 at 09:18

    This looks beautiful 🙂 I haven’t made a pie like this before I really want to try it now!

    Reply
  12. Guru Uru says

    September 21, 2012 at 11:05

    This pie looks beautiful my friend, and I bet tastes just as gorgeous 🙂

    Cheers
    CCU

    Reply
  13. Emma @ Food, Fork and Good says

    September 21, 2012 at 12:57

    A diet pie…. yes… my excuse to make myself one of these! Might use strawberries instead as I’ve got so many at the moment. Thanks! Great pictures too =D

    Reply
  14. A Bowl Of Mush says

    September 21, 2012 at 14:12

    Nice combination of fruits, sounds delicious!

    Reply
  15. Mich PIece of Cake says

    September 21, 2012 at 14:43

    Caroline, this fruit pie looks so gorgeous, love the beautiful red color! I read on Twitter you;re off to a holiday? Have a great one!

    Reply
  16. lena says

    September 21, 2012 at 15:23

    dont think i’ve seen damsons here and the look likr grapes in the picture! taht’s a pretty pie, i think i need to practise doing a lattice pie!

    Reply
  17. Janice says

    September 21, 2012 at 20:11

    What a glorious colour damsons create. I love them, no access to a tree now, our neighbours who used to let me have all of theirs moved on and the new ones are not so generous.

    Reply
  18. Belinda @zomppa says

    September 22, 2012 at 03:04

    What perfectly complementary fruits – and a gorgeous pie!

    Reply
  19. Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says

    September 22, 2012 at 05:34

    Oh so scrumptious! Never had damsons but they look yummy!

    Reply
  20. Elly McCausland says

    September 22, 2012 at 19:45

    I too have always wanted to make a lattice pie! This looks gorgeous – I love damsons but have never thought of combining with pears – inspired! Beautiful pie 🙂

    Reply
  21. Sabrina Poehl says

    September 23, 2012 at 01:54

    This looks heavenly! And your pictures are wonderful 🙂

    Reply
  22. Shu Han says

    September 23, 2012 at 04:11

    I’ve been in the uk for 3 years and I even work at a farmer’s market for god’s sake but I have yet to try a damson. I know, sacrilegious. this pie esp is making me feel really bad. will get myself a punnet soon as I’m back!

    Reply
  23. Toni | Boulder Locavore says

    September 24, 2012 at 11:23

    Great job! My first lattice pie I could not quite manage to weave the lattice, more layered it to it LOOKS woven! I’m sure this must have been delicious. Love a good pie, don’t you? Also love the shot of the pears! Have been reading my subscription to your blog on my phone (difficulties commenting on the phone though) so am finally looping back to comment.

    Reply
  24. Maggie says

    September 26, 2012 at 12:04

    I love the pear and damson combo. Damsons are a beautiful colour when cooked and a fruit that today isn’t so readily available, which is a shame. Great pie too:)

    Reply
  25. Chris says

    October 25, 2012 at 10:41

    That lattice pie looks very delicious, especially with this beaming red colour!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Any information added when you comment will be handled according to this Privacy Policy.

Hello I’m Caroline

Welcome to my site All That I’m Eating. You will find inventive recipes using seasonal and foraged ingredients as well as everyday easy meals and a few indulgent recipes too.

I believe humble food doesn’t have to be hum drum so whether you’ve oodles of onions, superfluous sausages or apples aplenty I hope you enjoy having a look around.

Find Out More…

Never Miss A Thing

Subscribe here!

Get all my posts straight to your inbox.

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

Contact Me

Your name
Your email
Enter your message
Enter below security code

Quick Links

  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Caroline Taylor Communications

Recent Tweets

  • Error: Invalid or expired token.

© 2018 Caroline Taylor - All That I'm Eating
·
Privacy and Copyright
·
web design::mogul

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT