PEAR AND RASPBERRY PIES WITH COCONUT PASTRY

Preparation time 30 mins plus 1 hour chilling Cooking time 45 mins Serves 6

5 ripe pears, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped

300g frozen raspberries, thawed

1/4 cup caster sugar

2 tsp plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind

1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped

1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

Double cream, to serve

COCONUT PASTRY

12/3 cups plain flour

1 Tbsp caster sugar

100g unsalted chilled butter, finely chopped

1/4 cup desiccated coconut, lightly toasted, plus extra, to sprinkle

1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp demerara sugar

STEP 1 To make coconut pastry, combine flour and sugar in a bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in coconut. Add egg and stir until mixture forms a rough dough, adding a little chilled water if needed. Knead lightly until smooth, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. STEP 2 In a large bowl, combine pears, raspberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, rind and pistachios. Spoon evenly into 6 x 1-cup-capacity ovenproof dishes. Put dishes on an oven tray (this helps move them in and out of the oven). STEP 3 Roll pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Cut into 1cm-wide strips. Arrange strips in a lattice pattern over pie fillings, finishing with a strip encircling each dish edge. Chill pies for 30 minutes.

STEP 4 Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced (180°C conventional). Brush pastry with beaten egg, then sprinkle with combined extra coconut and demerara sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden and fruit filling is tender. Stand for 10 minutes. Serve with double cream.