Title: English Cheese Pie
Categories: Cheese Cheesecake Dessert Pie
Yield: 8 Servings
| CRUST |
| 2 | c | Unbleached Flour |
| 2 | ts | Sugar; Granulated |
| 3 | tb | Shortening; Chilled |
| 1/2 | ts | Salt |
| 4 | tb | Butter; Chilled, * |
| 5 | tb | Water; Cold |
| FILLING |
| 1/2 | c | Cottage Cheese |
| 1/4 | c | Cream Sherry |
| 2 | | Egg Yolks, Large |
| 2 | tb | Rosewater |
| 1/4 | ts | Cinnamon; Ground |
| 1 | c | Heavy Cream |
| 3 | | Eggs; Large |
| 1/3 | c | Sugar; Granulated |
| 1/2 | ts | Nutmeg; Grated |
| 1/4 | c | Currants; Dried |
* DO NOT use margarine in this recipe.
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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 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 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
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.