quandong pie.

in case you haven't been following this blog for long, quandong, (australian wild peach) is a fruit that only grows in outback australia and i'm a bit obsessed with it. we have some trees in our yard and it's the best food i've discovered since being an outback girl. it's really hard to describe how it tastes, a bit like fig maybe but it can be used as a chutney in savoury food or to make sweet food like quandong pies and cakes. 

our tree (september 2011)

i picked a lot of them when they were in season and filled the freezer. since we had some friends round for tea and i was on holidays i thought i'd make a tasty pie.  i  thought i'd share the recipe if you ever get the chance to have pick some quandongs or visit an australian gift shop and buy some dried quandongs.

 you will need:

1 cup of  frozen quandongs

1 cup of water*

1 peeled, thinly cut apple

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup white sugar

2 sheets of shortcrust pastry

1 egg

steps:

1. boil the quandongs, apple, water, lemon and cinnamon until the quandongs and apples are soft.

2. add sugar and mix until it is dissolved. then cool the mixture

3. preheat an oven to 180 degrees. line a pie dish with pastry and brush egg wash over it. blind bake for about 10 minutes.

4. pour the mixture into the pie base and cover with pastry. brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle some sugar.

5. bake the pie in the oven until it is golden brown.

6. eat it while it's hot and serve with either ice cream or cream.

* you will need to use more water if you are cooking dried or fresh quandongs. i have a neighbour who uses lemonade instead of water too. when i made this pie i felt that i used a little bit too much water so in this recipe i have reduced the amount a little.

bon appetit!