Canadian Raisin Pie

Enjoy this soothingly delicious and steamingly crispy pie with your family and friends and make that moment a lasting one. It is just as good served cold as hot. The rich sweet pastry case is crisp and light when hot, yet slightly soft when cold. If preferred, individual pies can be made in the usual way. This will make about 30 pies.

Things you will need:

-175 g soft brown sugar
-2 tbsps plain flour
-pinch of salt
-350 g seedless raisins
- 450ml of water
-2 tbsps of golden syrup or honey
-finally grated lemon and juice of 1 lemon

Pastry:

-275 g flour
-pinch of salt
-2 tsps baking powder
-75g castor sugar
-1/4 tsp vanilla essence
-1 egg seperated
-1 tbsp milk
-150g butter/margarine

Steps to follow:

To make the filling: put all ingredients in a pan. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until raisins are plump and the mixture is thick, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the pastry: sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Make a well in the center, put in the sugar, vanilla essence, half the egg yolk, and all the egg white and milk. Stir the ingredients together until evenly mixed, then add the butter or margarine in pieces and beat quickly into the flour mixture. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough, wrap in foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30minutes.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, and use half to line a 23cm/9 inch flan dish. Spoon the filling into the dish, then cover with remaining dough. Prick the top dough with a fork, then brush with the remaining egg yolk mixed with a little milk. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.