Autumn fruit: plums

This pie is made without a dish or tin, you simply wrap the pastry over the edge of a pile of fruit and bake. Use a baking tray with a slight lip around the edge in case the fruit leaks. You can use any type of dessert plum you like.

Serves 6
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients
For the pastry:
175g plain flour
pinch of salt
75g butter, cold and cut into small cubes
cold water

For the filling:
750g greengages
75g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp semolina

Directions
1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Or you can do this in a food processor. Add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water and mix just until the mixture comes together. Bring together into a ball with your hands so there are no crumbs, flatten to a thick disc, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes while you prepare the fruit.

2. Cut the greengages in half and remove the stones. Toss in a bowl with all but one tablespoon of the sugar and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and lightly grease a large baking sheet.

3. When the pastry has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a circle about 35cm/14ins in diameter. Don't worry if the edges are cracked and ragged. Loosen the pastry from the surface, gently flip one side over the rolling pin and move it onto the baking sheet.

4. Paint the pastry with some of the beaten egg, then sprinkle over the semolina (this absorbs the fruit juice and helps prevent the pastry going soggy). Pile the fruit in the centre, then turn up the edges of the pastry, making rough pleats, to partly cover the fruit and form a 'basket' to hold it in. Brush the turned-up pastry edges with the rest of the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the fruit soft.

5. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet before sliding onto a serving plate.