Elderflower Lemon Pie by Krautkopf
FOR Ø 26 CM
FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
Spelt Flour
150g
Wholemeal Spelt Flour
50g
Whole Cane Sugar
40g
Organic Egg
1 × Medium Size Egg
Butter (Cold)
100g
FOR THE FILLING:
Lemons
4 × Lemons
(200ml Juice + Zest)
Elderflower
10 Umbels
Organic Honey
125g
Starch
½ Tbsp.
Butter
50g
Organic Egg
3 × Medium Size Eggs
Photography & Recipe © 2018 kraut-kopf.de
“As long as the elderflower is blossoming in Mecklenburg, we wished to bake a cake including it. The fragrance of the fresh blossoms made it impossible to resist.”
DIRECTIONS:
To prepare the stuffing first thoroughly wash the lemons, grate off the skin and press the juice. Pull off the elder blossoms from the umbels and bring them to boil in a small pot with the lemon juice. Put the pot aside and leave the mixture to steep. The longer you leave the elderflowers in the lemon juice, the more they will release their unique taste. If you would like, you can prepare the elderflower and lemon mixture the night before cooking to allow a greater flavour infusion.
For the shortcrust pastry mix flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into tiny cubes and along with one egg, mix into the flour-mixture before kneading to a smooth pastry. Form the shortcrust pastry into a ball and let it rest in the fridge in a covered bowl for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175°C ( Upper-/ lower heat). Grease the pie pan. Roll out the dough, a bit bigger than the form itself, on a flowered working surface. Place the shortcrust pastry in the pie pan and create an edge of 2-3 cm. For any overlapping dough, simply trim with a knife. With help of a fork create tiny holes and bake the shortcrust pastry for 15 min.
In the meantime you can pour the lemon juice and blossoms through a fine sieve or cloth, collect the juice while pressing the remaining blossoms. Lemon juice, zest, honey and starch are then mixed together in a pot and are stirred on a low heat. While stirring, let it cook until the starch thickens. Remove the pot from the stove and add the butter in pieces and then stir again. Then bring the stove to a medium heat. Whisk your eggs in a bowl and stir them with the lemon mixture. Bring the pot back onto the stove and let the cream thicken while stirring it for 3–5 minutes. It should develop to a pudding like consistency. It is important that the mixture will not properly cook, as otherwise the eggs will set.
Spread the lemon cream on the pre-baked shortcrust pastry and bake the pie for a further 20 minutes on the lowest baking tray. Before you cut it let it cool down on a wire rack. Then, enjoy!
A TIP FROM INALTO:
If elderflowers are hard to come by, you can always substitute with elderberries or even an elderflower cordial from your local supermarket.
A QUOTE FROM THE AUTHORS:
“—It’s the simple things that make life worth living. We love cooking with fresh produce — especially produce that is seasonal and sourced from local farmers. This means that we associate each of the seasons with a particular taste and feeling. Our recipes, which draw influences from all over the world, are simple and honest dishes.—”
