Damson Gin Pies...?!

Feast your eyes on these babies!!! These, my friends, are Damson Gin Pies a substance partially of my own creation huzzah! Arent they pretty? This is a photograph taken with pride :D
So as promised-tis recipe time! Although I should probably mention that this made an inordinate amount of pastry...so you may need to scale it down for what you need...i didnt and ended up with a lump of the stuff in the fridge. I'll put a star by the bits that are entirely my doing, but the rest of it is from Maria Ellia from 'Great Food Live':

makes:approx 750g of pastry (shortcrust)
making time: 15 mins/30 mins to cool
cooking time: 25 mins
ingredients: 500g plain flour (*gluten free flour)
250g butter (*I used normal block cooking butter)
When working with Gluten free bits, use 2tbsp of Xanthen to avoid cloddy flour
4-8 tbsp of water

for filling: * Approx 15 damsons soaked in Gin (my mother had made damson gin, and pickled these things for about a year so they were extremely strong, however, fruit can be infused with alcohol after about 3 days of soaking - be sure to split the fuit a little to allow the liquid in more easily).
* Some damson gin approx 60ml
*Some soft brown sugar
*A generous sprinkling of cinnamon powder
*A tiny dram of vanilla essence
* (optional* a swill of Amarretto liquer *slobbers*


Sift flour and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl
Use a knife to cut the butter into tiny pieces and blend into the flour using fingertips. Do this until the mixture looks like breadcumbs (always wanted to say that) and add a little water.
Bind the ingredients together using hands to form a doughy ball. The recipe said to wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge but I didnt bother and it turned out fine.
preheat the over to 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5
Roll out the pastry until it's about the thickness of a £1 coin.
*Cut out the adorable little pie shapes using two pastry cutters that fit into each other, this should make the base and the lid, my sides were pretty much guess work but I cut strips from the pastry and moulded them together with my fingers. Seal any gaps with milk and make sure you've greased the pie tins first.


*For the filling it's litertally a little bit of all the aforementioned ingredients into each pie, in cooking the sugar will bubble over and crystalise ove rht e pies, hence the rustic look in the photograph, I like it...

cooking time: 20-25 mins until lightly browned :)
There you go people, my first proud moment in cookery, written up a little later than made but still awesome. The great thing about these pies is that they can be filled with anything, you can even add some herbs to the pastry for a savoury pie...but cook the meat well...*shudders*
meow for now
xoxoxoxoxo Lia xoxoxoxoxoxox