It’s my party! Thanks for joining in

A Fresh Legacy – A leaf from my garden was launched a year ago today.

I made you a new season cherry chocolate pie to celebrate and to say thanks for reading and joining in the conversation over the past year. Although I made it for you, I made it with coconut cream instead of regular cream so that I can eat it 🙂

I spied the first of the Australian cherries at my local green grocers this week and tucked them into my basket especially for this pie.

The flavour of this pie is reminiscent of a cherry ripe bar, I really enjoyed the coconut flavour that the coconut cream and oil provide. It is a challenge to stop at one piece. I hope that you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

•  2 sheets of ready made shortcrust pasty – thawed
• 300 grams of dark cooking chocolate
• 220ml of coconut cream
• 350-400 grams of cherries (weight is prior to pitting) – pitted
• 2 oranges – zest and juice of 1 orange plus 1 orange peeled and cut into thin slices
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

Steps:

1. Turn of the oven to heat to 160 degrees
2. Cut the pastry to size and line the pie dish. Place pastry weights or rice on baking paper paper on top of the pastry to blind bake
3. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove from the oven
4. While the pie base is baking add the pitted cherries, the orange juice, zest and pieces, vanilla extract and coconut oil to a saucepan and simmer gently for 15 minutes
5. Set a saucepan of water to simmer and find a bowl that sits over the saucepan without the base touching the water. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts
6. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and add the coconut milk, stir to combine
7. To assemble the pie – To the cooked pastry base, add the cherry and orange mixture evenly then pour over the chocolate
8. Refrigerate for about 3 hours to set and then slice to serve
   

I really love working here in this space. It challenges and inspires me, it motivates me and consumes my thinking, it is part of our family life as my children actively participate in helping me in the garden and kitchen each day, thus forming the basis of the things I write. 

Your input and feedback makes the effort worthwhile so please continue to participate. It has been, and continues to be, a huge learning curve for me as I improve my gardening and cooking skills. Thank you to those of you who have helped me out by answering my questions when I have asked them. 

I really appreciate your support and hope that you will continue with me on my journey here.

Hip hip hooray. Thanks!