LADY DANBURY: “Lady Whistledown merely writes what she sees. Perhaps we need to help her to see things a bit more clearly. The duke is quite fond of gooseberry pie.”
LADY VIOLET: “The very dish my cook is renowned for.”
Bridgerton, Season 1 Episode 1
Bridgerton: Duke of Hasting’s Gooseberry Pie
We really can’t talk about the food from Bridgerton without mentioning the Duke’s favorite dessert, gooseberry pie. Luck would have it that the Bridgerton’s cook is renown for just that that dish! We sadly never got to see the pie so we don’t have the details of how it tasted or looked. While researching recipes for this series, I went back to one of my favorite books, Food in England by Dorothy Hartley. There is a great section in the book all about gooseberries and how it is typically prepared. The gooseberry pie is described as a raised hot crust pie filled with gooseberries and sugar. While these pies aren’t not as high as shown in the book, the decision was made so the pies were for single portions. To me, this would be much easier to eat and serve at a dinner party.
It’s quite difficult to find gooseberries. Thankfully, I have a store not far that always seems to have a great supply of them. It’s not quite the season for them now however, in a few months you might start seeing them at your local farmer’s market. The gooseberries have an amazing aroma but it’s quite tart. The result is this amazing pie bursting with sweet sugary syrup paired with tart gooseberries encased in a buttery crust. These pies are best eaten on the day of but it’s great reheated in the oven. Either way, these pies would be a hit the next time you throw your own Bridgerton themed party. Please enjoy these Bridgerton inspired Duke of Hasting’s gooseberry pie recipe.
Bridgerton: Duke of Hasting’s Gooseberry Pie
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
Hot Crust
- 8 ounces all purpose flour
- 3 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 ounces water
Filling
- 11 ounces gooseberries
- 6 ounces granulated sugar
Glaze
- 1 large whole egg whisked
Instructions
Hot Crust
- In a saucepan, add the water, sugar, and butter. Bring to a boil and add the flour. Turn the heat down low and stir until the mixture comes together in a ball of dough. Let the dough cool down to room temperature before continuing.
- Once the dough has cooled, take 2/3 of the dough and divide it into 3 pieces. The remaining dough will be set aside for the lid and decorations. Lightly flour a ball of dough and flatten it out to a disc. Using a floured mold or base of a wide mouth jar, shape the disc of dough up the sides of the jar to create the base of the pie. If the dough is having a hard time keep it's shape, place it into the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with parchment and set aside.
- Slice any of the larger gooseberries in half and toss the gooseberries in sugar. Fill the bases with the gooseberries. Top off pies with any excess sugar that is remaining in the bowl.
- With the remaining dough that you have set aside, roll out lids for the tops of the pies. Top the pies with the lids and crimp the edges. Make sure it's nice and sealed so none of the juices will run out while it's baking. With the remaining dough, you can make leaf decorations to place on top.
- Brush the pies with the whisked egg. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool before serving.
