English CHEESE Pie

Title: English CHEESE Pie

Categories: Cheesecakes

Yield: 8 servings

CRUST:

2 c Flour

2 ts Sugar

3 tb Shortening, Chilled

1/2 ts Salt

4 tb Butter, Chilled,

Not margarine

5 tb Cold water

FILLING:

1/2 c Cottage Cheese

1/4 c Cream Sherry

2 lg Egg Yolks

2 tb Rosewater

1/4 ts Cinnamon

1 c Heavy Cream

3 lg Eggs

1/3 c Sugar

1/2 ts Nutmeg, Grated

1/4 c Currants, Dried

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

30 minutes. Preheat the oven to

450'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

7 to 10 minutes then remove the weight and the foil.

8 to

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'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. --