Rum Nicky with clotted cream

I’d never heard of this until I found myself  on Bake Off with Paul Hollywood. The recipe originates from his home town of Liverpool. There are two theories about the name. One was the dockers unloading the ships from the Caribbean would ‘nick’ a bit of rum, which wives would use to make pies. Or, more boringly, that the name came from the nicks made in the pastry lid to let the steam escape. I tested the recipe like this but decided a lattice top was better.

Rum Nicky with clotted cream

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the filling

225g dates, stoned and coarsely chopped

100g dried apricots, coarsely chopped

50g stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped

50ml dark rum

50g soft dark brown sugar

50g unsalted butter, cut into 1-2cm (1/2in) cubes

For the shortcrust pastry

200g plain flour

100g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

1 medium egg, beaten

a squeeze of lemon juice

1 medium egg yolk, beaten, for brushing

To serve

Clotted cream

Method

1. Mix all the filling ingredients, except the butter, together in a bowl. Set aside
2. For the pastry, put the flour, butter, eggs, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of cold water into a food processor and whizz to a ball. (If making by hand, rub the butter lightly into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the egg with the lemon juice and water and add to the flour mixture. Using a table knife, work the liquid into the flour and bring the pastry together. Use your hands to gently knead it into a ball.) Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C /160°c/gas make 4, and put a baking sheet on the middle shelf to heat.
4. Cut a third off the ball of the dough and set aside. Roll out the rest of the dough on a floured work surface into a circle large enough to line a 20cm (8in) enamel pie-plate. Transfer to the pie- plate, easing it into the corners. Spread out the filling in the pastry case and dot with butter. Flatten the top.
5. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut it into 1 cm (1/2in) wide strips. Lay four or five of the strips parallel across the filling to cover the pie. Lay another four or five strips across the lot, not directly at the right angles but at a slight slant to give the diamond- shaped gaps. Trim the ends of each strip neatly and tuck them between the filling and the pastry rim. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, then brush the pastry with beaten egg yolk.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 160°C/ fan 140°C/ gas mark 3 and cook for a further 20 minutes.
7. Serve with clotted cream