English Cheese Pie
Submitted by wwilliams
English cheese pie with sieved cottage cheese, cream sherry, rosewater, and currants in a from-scratch butter pastry crust. A fragrant Tudor-era custard dessert.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThis English cheese pie is a historical dessert that dates back to Tudor-era baking, when cheese pies meant custard-style fillings perfumed with rosewater and warm spices. The filling uses cottage cheese pressed through a sieve until silky smooth, then beaten with eggs, cream, sherry, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a fragrant, pourable custard.
The crust is worth the effort. A butter-and-shortening pastry chilled, rolled thin, and blind-baked with weights produces a crisp, flaky shell that can hold the wet filling without going soggy. The recipe is adamant: do not use margarine. Real butter gives the crust its flavor and flaky layers.
Rosewater is the ingredient that makes this pie unlike anything in a modern American bakery. It adds a floral perfume that pairs beautifully with the sherry and nutmeg. Dried currants scattered through the custard burst with sweetness in every bite.
Pro Tips
- Press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve, not just a strainer. Any lumps left will show up in the finished custard.
- Chill the pastry dough at least 30 minutes. Warm dough shrinks and tears when you roll it.
- Don’t re-roll scraps if the dough tears. Patch instead. Re-rolling develops gluten and makes the crust tough.
- Heat the cream and sherry gently until steamy, not boiling. Scorched cream tastes burnt and can’t be rescued.
- Let the pie cool completely before chilling. A dusting of cinnamon on top before serving is traditional.
Variations
- Substitute ricotta for cottage cheese to skip the sieving step (ricotta is naturally smoother).
- Use orange blossom water instead of rosewater for a different floral note.
- Add a handful of golden raisins alongside the currants for extra fruity sweetness.
Ingredients
Directions
- 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 least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃). When the pastry has chilled, roll it out on a pastry board to a thickness of ⅛ 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 crust for 7 to 10 minutes then remove the weight and the foil. Return the crust to the oven and continue baking for another 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℉ (180℃). 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.
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