Mini Berry Pies

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. These can be a variety of sizes, ranging from bite-size to ones designed for multiple servings. Here I'm giving the recipe of berry pie that I turned into mini pies, but you can make them as regular size pies too. Ingredients (makes about 12) For Crust 1 cup + 2 tbsp maida, plus more for dusting 4 tbsp powder sugar Pinch of Salt 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 to 3 tbsp cold water For Filling 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest 2 cups blueberries/strawberries Pinch of cinnamon powder Method For Crust Preheat oven at 200 C. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar & salt. Cut in the Butter & mix using two knives. Now rub with hands n the mixture should be like bread crumbs. Add the water and gently bring the dough together. Refrigerate the dough & prepare the filling. For Filling Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add berries; toss to coat. Keep aside. How to proceed Grease the tart pans with butter & keep aside. Turn dough onto floured board & split it in half. Roll each half to a thin sheet & place your mini tart pans on the dough. Cut around with 1" to spare. Gently press the dough into the tart pan. Now if you want to make pies like shown in picture then you can cut the edges. But if you want to cover it & make it a closed pie then don't trim the edges. Fill the crust with filling, leaving little space so it doesn't ooze out when baking. Now either cut strips from dough and place on top like shown or make another round & place on top to cover completely, securing at the edges. If covering completely then remember to make slits for steam to escape. Bake until crusts are brown & filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly in tins. Run a knife around tarts; remove from tins. Let cool completely on rack. Warm these up a bit before serving. Tips * Do not roll out the dough too thin or after baking your pie crust can break while un-moulding. * Un-mould after the pies cool down or the crust might crumble. * Always cut the dough slightly bigger then the mould. * If covering the pie completely then remember to make slits for steam to escape. * Do not fill the tarts till top if you don't want to clean the burnt pans after baking. * Use same recipe to make bigger pies. * You can use muffin tray instead of tart cases to make mini pies.