Ground Cherry Cupcake Pies
Ground cherries. I had absolutely no idea what they were until I saw them at a farmers market here in Boston. When I walked by them I said, “Aww, baby tomatillos!” The sign said “ground cherries” so I asked the woman more about them. She carefully unwrapped one from it’s papery husk and handed it to me.
Wow, so weird. And so good.
They’re the size of cherry tomatoes. The ripe ones are a pale golden yellow. They have a hint (just a hint) of tomato, but are much sweeter. They smell like fresh strawberries, have the sweetness of grapes, and have a vaguely pineapple flavor. And a little vanilla, too. Weird. But good.
I picked up two little cartons and then let them sit on my counter for four days. I couldn’t figure out what to do with them, and I thought the point would be moot since they were probably spoiled. But nope! They store extremely well in the fridge, and as it turns out, pretty well on your counter top, too.
The most traditional way to use them is in pie. I been thinking about a way to make miniature pies in cupcake tins, so here was my chance to try it out. The upshot is that you can use the technique with whatever fruit you can find, should ground cherries not be available.
Ground Cherry Cupcake Pies
Makes Six
Pate Brisee (pie dough)
1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 Cup Cubed, Chilled Earth Balance Margarine
2 Tbs – 1/4 Cup Ice Water
1 1/3 Cup Ground Cherries, de-husked and washed
1/4 Cup Sugar + 1/2 tsp Flour
Begin by making the pie dough. For a step-by-step, see this recipe.
Line a cupcake tin with cupcake papers. Spray lightly with oil. Place a scant tablespoon of dough into the bottom of each cup. Using a small glass dipped in water (one that has the same diameter of the bottom of the cupcake cup), press the dough to form a bottom crust.
Take small pieces of dough and build up the sides of the cup with dough, making sure the walls aren’t too thick.
At this point, you can use the glass again, dipped in water so it won’t stick, to neaten everything up if you want.
Your finished pie shells should look something like this. Place the shells in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Remove the shells from the fridge and fill to the top, slightly overflowing, with ground cherries (or whatever fruit you’re using).
Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of the sugar/flour mixture to each cup, depending on how sweet you want your pies. 1/2 tsp was sweet enough for me, allowing the flavor of the fruit to show through. If you’re using something tangier or less sweet, you’ll want more sugar.
Cover the back of a cookie sheet with a sheet of plastic wrap. Add the rest of the pie dough, and cover with a second sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4-1/8″ thick. Using a glass that has a slightly larger diameter than the openings of the cupcake cups, stamp out six pie crust tops. Place this in the freezer for a few minutes, or into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
Once chilled, you should be able to easily peel out the tops and place them over your pies. Pinch the edges down, slash a X in the top with a sharp knife, and sprinkle with sugar. You can do other types of tops, such as lattice work, if desired.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for several minutes before gently removing them from the cupcake tin to cook completely.
Ground cherry cupcake pies!
Again, you can use any fruit you like, but if you ever see ground cherries, definitely try them. They’re also sometimes called cape gooseberries (though some people say it’s a different fruit in the same family), husk tomatoes (which usually refer to tomatillos…), goldenberries, and a host of other names. Whatever they’re called, they should be small, sweet, and surprising. Make a jam, dip them in chocolate, add them to salsa, or eat them raw.
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Okay! Seems like a lot of people find these growing nearby their homes. PLEASE don’t eat them unless you’re SURE they are okay to eat. Wikipedia lists over 35 different plants in the Physalis genus. That’s a lot! So there’s no guarantee the species that is growing near you is this same species I’ve written about. Please be careful!! Even if they are safe to eat, they might not taste the same.
If the people that live around you don’t tend to eat the fruits of the bushes you see, there might be a very good reason why. Wild foraging can be dangerous, so please eat only ground cherries that you find at markets that have a reputation for, well, selling non-poisonous food. Ha!
FIRST.
Muahahhaa.
Now I’ll go back and read the actual post.
We love these – just as a raw snack, they are so cute! And now I can try making these adorable little pies!
These are used as a garnish all over Europe. I never knew what they were- but they’re on plates everywhere there.
You can put it in some melted chocolate, it’s delicious.
Here in France we call it “physalis” or “amour en cage” ;) It’s pretty acid, in my opinion.
Aaah, physalis (or at least that’s what I’ve normally heard them called in the UK, though to be honest you don’t see them in the shops often). Sometimes seems to be spelt with two Ls.
I was racking my brains as to what ground cherries could be when I saw your preview of the cupcakes via flickr! Was imagining mashed up cherries, but there was no red on the picture.
They’re such photogenic little things!
I’ve never seen these before, but now I’m dying to try them. They sound so interesting. I’ll have to keep an eye open for them in the farmers markets around here. Maybe I’ll get lucky. I love the mini pie idea too. I will definitely give that a try.
Hi Lolo, which Farmers Market did you find the ground cherries at? I am just curious and I live in Boston too. I’d love to find them!
Copley Square! They were on the side of the square closest to Newbury St, near the fountains. :)
Hi, you do not know me, but I have been a silent admirer of your blog for a long time. You are one talented kitchen minx!
I love ground cherries. They grow like weeds. In my first disastrous garden, they were little balls of squishy-seeded sunshine. I wish they were more readily available, so I could have a handful now
in French it’s called “love in a coop”
Thanks for that nice idea for cooking physalis :)
I LOVE the cupcake pie idea. Sooo cute!
I just saw these at our farmer’s market the other day and was lucky enough to try one. I thought it tasted somewhat buttery. It was very good, though, and I think your mini pies are the perfect use for them!
Wow, who knew. They look yummy and they pictures are incredible, as always.
Awwww … cute and (obviously) super yummy looking! Great job!
Not to be too curious but … what about your big happy announcement?
Lilly
Yep, I know them as physalis or ‘cape gooseberry’, and the papery ‘flowers’ as ‘Chinese Lanterns’. Didn’t know you could cook them – interesting stuff, thanks.
Yum! I had always wondered what they were called, and thought they might be gooseberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, or some other berry that I hadn’t seen before. The cupcakes looks delicious! Why the paper wrapper though? Did they fall apart without the wrapper?
Because they’re cupcake pies! I also wanted to make sure it was easy to get them out of the tins.
Innovative and stunning (as always)!!
You have inspired me to make some little pies this week! These look GREAT.
Hey – those things are on the plants growing in the field next door, and they stick through my fence! Now I know what they are – must be easy to grow here in New Zealand, because no one has been taking care of them.
Thanks as always for your terrific recipes.
Vegan Yum Yum,
You are a genius! Seriously. Cupcake pies! That is the most awesome idea anyone has ever come up with. They’re cute, compact, and prevent you from eating too much at a time.
I love you for this! Really! I may not ever find ground cherries, but I’m gonna figure something out to stick in a mini-pie now. I MUST make some!
! WHAT !
You can eat these! I’ve had some growing in my front yard forever! I got yelled at when I tried eating them while I was younger. They were always orange. :\
I’ll keep an eye on these for a while.
Innovative! Cupcake pies… that sums up my epitome of decadence.
And I’ve never heard of ground cherries. Now I really, really want some because that description is so tempting.
Cupcake pies! Like in Pushing Daisies. These look so cute and yummy!
iven seen those cherries at the farmers market but i didnt know what to do with them. now im intrigued.
they look very yummy!
Wow. Thanks for teaching me about a new fruit, I’ve never seen those before.
So where’s the big, happy announcement? ;)
Ooh, I LOVE ground cherries! I don’t know if I’d be able to stop eating them long enough to make those lovely pies, but I’ll have to try! :)
I’ve never seen these either, but I’m very intrigued. They sound delicious! I really like the little pies you made. What an elegant dessert.
In Montreal every restaurant serves fruit with breakfast, and my favourite includes these. I miss them! It almost seems a shame to cook them, they’re so delicious raw.
Encore des superbes photos !!!
Et merci pour tes astuces !!!!
Bizzzzzzzzz
Barbichounette
Mhm. We call them japanese lights, and they are lovely, though ridiculously expensive.
Miniature pies?!? Good Lord, I’ll have to try them too! What a great idea. Ciao!
I’m dying to know, what is your big announcement that you mentioned in the post before this?
your pics convey how delicious they are.
these are so cute! if they’re as small as they look in the pics, is it possible to make them in mini cupcake pans using pate brisee and a tart tamper? i think i’ll try that out. thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you for being at the forefront of all this experimentation. :) I have to say I love the cupcake pie idea, too! No ground cherries (that I’ve ever seen) here in Texas, but I’m going to try your mini-pie idea with your fabulous crumb topping recipe from a few posts ago and make mini vegan dutch apple pies. Yum!
yum! i like the idea of mini pies like that. seems like it would go well for someone who just doesn’t really do pies. like myself!
thanks!
xo.
I too am so curious to know what the big announcement is, i’m hoping new cook book deal ;)
love the ground cherries, i grew some this year!
Glad that I’ve run into this post. When we go around here in our place we have a lot of these ground cherry bushes(It’s called tino-tino here in Philippines). Now I know it’s called ground cherry.
http://www.foodista.com
I know it as the Inca Berry or the cape gooseberry–definately one of my favourite fruits. :)
Yours little tarts looks gorgeous and tasty!
You pics are as good as your food!
amazing blog!
I have to find these! I love your new logo btw!
Hello
The cakes look fab – I’ve always known this fruit as ‘cape gooseberries’ (I’m based in the UK) or the inedible form as ‘chinese lanterns’.
Funny, isn’t it – all the different names for things! I always spend a long time decoding american recipes, thinking ‘I’ll never be able to find a substitute’ but often, it turns out to be really simple. For instance, ‘vegetable shortening’ flummoxed me for a long time and I couldn’t get my icing right at all until I realised that it is, in fact, ‘cookeen’ – a brand of solid vegetable fat over here in the British Isles.
Cheers
Zodie
Hi there
I read your blog all the time – you’re a talented gal that’s for sure. Some one might have already said this but in New Zealand we call these Cape Gooseberries. They are pretty common and are usually made into a sour jam. Your little pies look great.
Kiri
Duh! Ok so the person right above me said it. Sorry! Well now you know they weren’t lying! :)
You can also fold back the papery ‘shell’ and dip the berry in fondant icing. This is an oldie but goodie petit four.
I live in Boston and have not seen these at any of the farmers markets I frequent. Where did you find them?
Oh, nevermind! I see the answer up a few comments. I’ll have to check out the one in Copley next time I get around there!
Wow, you sure make these look easy!
yummy, we call these gooseberries and they are super tasty!
Ground cherries are crazy! Nice job on the cupcakes pies, very cool idea.