Sour Cherry and Curd Cheese Pie

It is almost holiday time for us(3 more days to go:)), so I have to start use up everything in the fridge. We bought some curd cheese last week with the intention to do something very different, but as I cached cold I haven't come around to do it. So this is my "I feel so much better pie":quick, easy and yummy.

Sour Cherry and Curd Cheese Pie

For the pastry

250 g plain flour

120 g butter(at room temperature)

100 g sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 tbsp soured cream-if needed

For the filling

500 g curd cheese *more on this in the Tricks and Recommendations

80 g sugar

1 vanilla pod

1 egg

100 ml double cream

juice of half lemon

2 tbsp semolina+2 tbsp semolina to sprinkle on top of the dough

1 sour cherry pie filling(I used shop bought one, but you can use fresh soured cherry+cherry jam)

egg wash on top

Place the flour and baking powder in a big bowl and rub in the soft butter. Add the sugar and eggs and work together to get a dough. Whether if you need the soured cream or not it is down to the ingredients you use (depends on the size of your eggs, temperature so on-sometimes I need it sometimes I don't)...so add soured cream if you need, to get a very soft, but not sticky dough. Kneed it for 2-3 minutes then cover it and put it in the fridge until you prepare your filling.

Mix the curd cheese with the sugar, seeds of the vanilla pod, egg, double cream and 2 tbsp semolina. 

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 25X20cm baking tray with baking paper.

Divide the dough into two parts (2/3 - 1/3) and on a floured surface roll 2/3 of the pastry to 3-4 mm thickness. Lay the dough into the prepared tin and prick the surface with a fork. 

Sprinkle 2 tbsp semolina to the dough(it protects the dough from the liquid released by the curd cheese, therefore making sure the bottom will be soft, but not under baked). Now lay your curd cheese filling on top of the semolina layer, level it, then spread on top the cherry filling. 

To create the lattice pattern roll out the rest of the dough on your work surface and with a pizza cutter cut long strips.
Place your pastry strips on top of the pie, and brush it with egg wash (not like me because I forgot to do it:) Bake it in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.