English Cheese Pie

ENGLISH CHEESE PIE

8 Preparation Time :

Categories : Cheese Desserts

Pies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -- -- --

--CRUST--

2 c Unbleached Flour

1/2 t Salt

2 t Sugar -- Granulated

4 T Butter -- Chilled,

3 T Shortening -- Chilled

5 T Water -- Cold

--FILLING--

1/2 c Cottage Cheese

1 c Heavy Cream

1/4 c Cream Sherry

3 Eggs -- Large

2 Egg Yolks, Large

1/3 c Sugar -- Granulated

2 T Rosewater

1/2 t Nutmeg -- Grated

1/4 t Cinnamon -- Ground

1/4 c Currants -- Dried

DO NOT use margarine in this recipe.

--

-- CRUST:

Sift together the flour, salt and sugar into a

medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the butter to the flour

all at once. Mix together until well blended. Then

add the shortening and continue to blend by cutting it

into the flour mixture. The mixture will begin to

look like crumbs or small pebbles. It will have the

texture of oatmeal. Sprinkle the water over the

dough, distributing it evenly throughout. The dough

will be come sticky and cling together. Gather it

into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill for at

30 minutes. Preheat the oven to

450 degrees F.

When the pastry has chilled, roll it out on a pastry

board to a thickness of 1/8-inch. The easiest way is

to roll the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper.

Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and transfer

it to a 9-inch pie tin. Gently press it into the tin

without stretching it. Use the excess pastry to make

flutes or cut away the excess with a sharp knife or scissors. Prick the bottom of the pastry shell

thoroughly to prevent trapped air from bubbling the

dough. Butter a sheet of aluminum foil and place the

foil down into the shell. Weight it down with weights

or beans to keep the crust from lifting up. Bake the

7 to 10 minutes then remove the weight and the foil. Return the crust to the oven and continue

8 to 10 minutes or until the crust

is lightly browned. If you have difficulty rolling

out the dough, do not reroll it; just patch the tears

or holes. Rerolling will make the pastry tough.

FILLING: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Press the

cottage cheese through a sieve. In a small saucepan,

gently heat the cream and the sherry until steamy, do

not allow it to scorch. In a mixing bowl, beat

together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, rosewater, and the spices until frothy -- about 5 minutes. In a

large mixing bowl, beat the cottage cheese until it is

smooth then add the egg mixture and blend well. Add

the hot cream and sherry slowly to the cheese mixture

and beat until well blended. Stir in the currants and pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Bake for about 30 minutes, then allow to cool. Chill and sprinkle with cinnamon. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -