Cherry & Nectarine Pie

Make the pastry. Cut the butter and cream cheese into cubes and chill in the freezer for 5 min.

Meanwhile add the flour, icing sugar and salt to a processor and mix slightly. Add the chilled butter and cream cheese and mix until breadcrumb consistency. Add the vanilla bean paste. Add the milk and pulse until the mixture comes together and starts to form a dough. 2.5-3 tablespoons of milk will achieve this.

Turn the dough out, form a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate while preparing the next steps.

Pitt the cherries and set aside. Hint: If you don’t have a cherry Pitter then go out and buy one as they are the best ever for making cherry desserts.

Prepare the sugar coating mix. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon together, reserve 1 tablespoon of the mix for later. Then add cornflour and vanilla bean paste and finally the orange juice.

Cut the nectarines into wedges and set aside. Mine were rock hard so I sprinkled with a bit of icing sugar and let them sit for a little to soften them.

Sprinkle the sugar coating mix over the nectarines and stir til coated. Then add the remaining cherries and stir. Heat ever so slightly so the sugar melts and the fruit is glossy. About two minutes will do it.

Additional step - can skip this if desired. I take 1 cup of the cherries and heat them with 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon cornflour so they soften and form a jam like texture. I spoon this into the centre of the pie but you can skip this step entirely and just add all the cherries to the nectarine mix if you wish.

Roll out the cooled dough onto some baking paper into a disc that over shoots the sides of your pie dish by about 3cm. Prick with a fork and refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Add the fruit to the pie dish and spoon the cherry jam mix into the centre if you did this step.

Sprinkle the fruit with the reserved sugar. Fold the dough over the fruit and crimp the edges so they sit flush on the fruit. Brush the exposed dough with a tiny bit of extra milk.

Bake in the oven for 25 mins at 190 degrees and then turn down to 170 for an additional 35 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Enjoy a slice, either warm or cold with cream or icecream. Delish!