Halloween X-Ray Pie
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 45 minutes plus 1 hour 30minutes resting/chilling time
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8-10 people
For Bones
- 180g/6ozs cake flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 113g/1stick butter, cut into cubes, very cold
- 4-5 tablespoons ice water
For Heart
- 160g/5.6ozs cake flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch fine salt
- 56g/ 1/2 stick butter, cut into cubes, very cold
- 2-3 tablespoons ice water
- Red Food Colouring
For Filling
- 1.2kgs/2.6lbs fresh or frozen fruit (I used a combination of jarred morello cherries, frozen raspberries and freshly peeled and diced apple)
- 2 teaspoons red food colouring (not needed if you use red fruit)
- 245g/8.6ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 1/4 cup/55g/2ozs cornflour/fine cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 small egg, beaten for glaze
Step 1 - Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse for 10-15 seconds until you get fine crumbs. Then add the ice water and pulse until it starts to feel a bit damp (Thermomix, 15 seconds, speed #4.5). Pinch the mixture and if it starts to clump together then it is ready to knead. Otherwise add a bit extra water (I use this pastry recipe all the time and have found the amount of water varies on the flour a lot).
Step 2 - Turn the mixture out into a bowl and start to knead together until you get an even textured dough. Allow to rest for 5 minutes while you do the same for the heart dough.
Step 3 - Repeat the same process for the heart dough but this time add the red food colouring into the ice water and then add this into the dough. You will now have two doughs, a white and a red. I always deal with the white dough first with clean hands and then the red one because you don't want any red from your hands getting on the white dough. I like to roll them out slightly, dust them with a bit of flour and then cover them in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour. Take out of the fridge and allow to come to temperature for 10 minutes.
Step 4 - Meanwhile you can get the fruit together for the filling. If you are using jarred cherries make sure to drain them well. Mix the fruit, colouring (if using), sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl coating the fruit well. Have a large 31x24cm or 12.2x9.5inch rectangular baking dish ready for the filling.
Step 5 - Line a tray around the same size as the baking dish with a sheet of parchment. Take the white dough out and roll to 3mm/0.12 inch thickness. Using a ruler and pizza cutter cut thin strips around 6mm/0.24inch wide. You want to get around 9-10 ribs and a clavicle on each side. Shape the pattern of this on the parchment lined tray and adjust. Then cut a strip about an inch wide for the centre for the spinal column and then some rectangles for the top and bottom for the vertebrae. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until firm. Cut out two lungs that will fit underneath the ribs and also refrigerate.
Step 6 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F fan forced. Give the fruit filling one final stir and place the fruit filling in the tray and then gently lift the heart on top of the filling. Then place the bones on top gently and then brush with egg glaze (optional they will stay whiter without the glaze). Bake for 30 minutes. Scoop and serve with vanilla ice cream.