Vegan Cherry Pie With Dairy-Free Whipped Cream

• Prepare the Vegan Flaky Pastry; divide the pastry into two. Grease and line an 8 to 10–inch (20 to 25–cm) fluted tart tin.
• Roll out half of the pastry until it is about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Carefully roll the pastry onto a rolling pin to transport it onto your tin. Unroll the pastry over the pastry tin and lightly ease the edges into the bottom corners of the tin, ensuring there are no pockets of air under the pastry or in the flutes. Using a small sharp knife, trim the excess pastry from the edges of the shell. Chill the pastry in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until it is firm; this will help prevent shrinkage.
• To make the filling, place your cherries and juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and sugar in a small saucepan and heat to a gentle simmer. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to create a slurry, then add it to your heating cherries. Cook this mixture for approximately 2 minutes. We are looking for the mixture to begin to thicken; however, we do not want to thicken the liquids too much, as this will happen in the oven. Cool the mixture to room temperature.
• Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C). Roll out the remaining pastry into a rectangle. Cut out 20 strips, each ⅓ inch (1 cm) wide, ensuring they are the length of your tart tin.
• Lay the pastry strips in a lattice over the cherry filling. Begin by laying 10 strips going in one direction, then weave the other 10 in and out, leaving the loose ends of the strips hanging over the edge of the tin. Run a knife around the outskirts of the tin to trim away any excess.
• Brush the top of the tart with some plant-based milk, then sprinkle the sugar over the pastry. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the tart is a rich, golden brown. Serve with cream and cherries.

To make the Vegan Flaky Pastry

• To start, I place my diced butter and the food processor bowl and blades in the freezer until the butter is rock solid.
• To begin the pastry, place the flour, sugar, salt and cold butter in the cold food processor and pulse until it is roughly mixed and has a large crumb-like consistency. Add the cold water and continue to pulse until it is just combined, maintaining large streaks of butter. I normally pulse until the dough has formed into little pebbles the size of lentils.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Working quickly, gently press the dough between your fingertips so that it comes together. Now shape it into a rectangle. Wrap it with cling wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 10 minutes.

Roll 1

• Once rested, unwrap the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough into an 8 x 16–inch (20 x 40–cm) rectangle. Fold the short ends into each other so they meet in the middle. Fold the two short ends over again to create a book fold. Give the rectangle of dough a quarter turn, 90 degrees to the left.

Roll 2

• Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it out again to approximately 8 x 16 inches (20 x 40 cm). Repeat the folding process, ensuring the dough is turned a further 90 degrees to the left once again. Wrap it with cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Roll 3

• Repeat the previous step. Wrap with cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Now the dough is ready to be rolled out in whatever way you wish.