1 pie crust, 3 ways

Easy shortcut pastry crust

Pulse 400 g flour, 220 g softened butter, 100 g icing sugar and 1 t salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 1⁄2 cup cold water, a few tablespoons at a time, while pulsing, to form a ball of dough. Wrap in clingwrap and chill for 15 minutes. Roll out on a clean, floured surface to a thickness of about 1⁄2 cm, then place into a greased and flour-dusted pie case, trim the edges and chill for 10 minutes. Place baking paper filled with baking beans or rice on the pastry and blind-bake at 180°C for 10 minutes or until light brown.

Cook's note: Sprinkle 1 T brown sugar over the pastry crust before you bake it for a slight sweetness and extra nostalgic crunch.

Toffee, banana and coconut open pie

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out two- thirds of the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of 1⁄2 cm. Line an 18 cm pastry case with the dough, sprinkle with 2 T brown sugar and blind bake. To make the filling, mix 200 g desiccated coconut, 220 g coconut flour, 1 free-range egg, 4 T honey and 1⁄2 cup milk. Spread over the pastry, then top with 4–6 peeled and halved bananas. Sprinkle with 50 g brown sugar and bake at 180°C for 12 minutes. Melt 200 g sugar in a pan until a dark caramel forms and the sugar has dissolved (don’t stir, just swirl the pan). Pour a thin layer of caramel over the bananas and allow to cool before serving with ice cream of your choice. Serves 8

Raspberry-and-apple pies with almond crust

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out two-thirds of the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of 1⁄2 cm. Line 6 x 8 cm pastry cases with the pastry, then blind-bake for 10 minutes. To make the filling, peel and dice 3 Granny Smith apples, then mix with 200 g raspberries, 55 g caster sugar and 1 T vanilla paste. Fill each pie, cover with the remaining pastry, pinching the edges to secure. Make a small incision in the top of each pie, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden. Dust with icing sugar. Serves 6

Peach-and-cardamom pies with brown-sugar lattice crust

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out 2⁄3 of the shortcrust pastry to a thickness
of 1⁄2 cm. Line 6 x 10 cm pie cases with pastry and blind-bake for 10 minutes. Divide 3 x 410 g cans peach halves between the pies (reserve the syrup). Crush 2 cardamom pods over the filling and sprinkle with 3 T brown sugar. Cut the remaining pastry into 1 cm strips and place 4 on top of each pie to make a lattice pattern. Brush the pastry lattice with beaten egg and sprinkle with more brown sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden. Serve warm, drizzled with the reserved syrup and sprinkled with chopped pistachios, with custard. Serves 6

For best results, chill pastry for 10 minutes in the pie dish before baking - Hannah Lewry.

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