Today is Day Five of a particularly nasty cold. My wonderful housemate made me chicken soup loaded with immune boosting garlic, ginger and turmeric. I’ve had the kitty cat and House of Cards to keep me company, and Mum texting me every day to see how I’m feeling.
But by yesterday I was bored and desperate to bake something (anything!) with ingredients I had in the house because I wasn’t feeling up to dragging my sorry self up the hill to the shops. I definitely believe in having sugar, butter and flour in the pantry at all times, because you never know when the baking urge will strike!
I could never get sick of pie. I mean how good does that look! I loved the combination of nectarine, raspberry and thyme. The Chambord was a subtle in the background, but I think it helped to bring out the flavour of the fruit. The pastry was perfect. I decided to try a Donna Hay-esque round pastry pattern for the top, which I liked the look of, but it will still look and taste delicious if you can’t be bothered. Talk about comfort food, this was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits!
Nectarine, Raspberry and Chambord Pie
Serves 4-6
Pastry
- 125g (3/4 cup) plain flour
- Pinch baking powder
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 80g cold butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ice cold water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- Raw sugar, for scattering
- 3 large white nectarines (or 4 medium/small ones)
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1/4 cup Chambord
- 100g fresh raspberries (you could also use frozen)
- Thyme leaves
To make the pastry, place the flour, baking powder, sugar and butter in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Process until the mixture comes together to form a smooth dough. Roll the pastry out between two sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm thick and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.