Читать книгу Beginner's Guide to DIY & Home Repair - Kathryn Hawkins - Страница 25

You can transform the top of any pie from something very plain to something completely over the top by using up your pastry trimmings and making various shapes and decorations. There is a huge range of pastry cutters available these days, in many sizes. Leaves used to be the most traditional of shapes, but now you can find cutters to reflect just about any filling: I’ve got fishes, birds, pigs, sheep and cows for my pies, as well as a selection of fruit and vegetables, and even some bugs and beasties (perfect for children’s parties!). Pastry stars are festive and seasonal, and hearts make any pie extra special; you can spell out the filling or personalise a pie with alphabet cutters, or make up your own designs by cutting round a cardboard stencil or template. Simply stick pastry shapes on to the pie top using water or beaten egg and then glaze along with the rest of the pastry top. For a splash of colour, leave the pastry decorations unglazed before baking and then once baked, paint them with a light brushing of food colouring – looks great on a cherry pie: simply paint small pastry rounds red, and leaf shapes green.