Recipes

Freeform blackberry and apple pies

You don’t need a fancy tin to make this pie in, just an ordinary baking sheet.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Chilling time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

 

Pastry

250 g (9 oz) plain flour

50 g (2 oz) caster or icing sugar

1 lemon, grated rind only

125 g (4½oz) butter, diced

3 egg yolks

 

Filling

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) cooking apples, quartered, cored, peeled and sliced

Juice 1 lemon

175 g (6 oz) blackberries

50 g (2 oz) caster sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

Little beaten egg or milk to glaze

Little extra caster sugar for sprinkling

 

1)    To make the pastry, add the flour, sugar, lemon rind and butter to a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with fingertips or an electric mixer until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix with a round bladed knife then squeeze together with fingertips to make a soft dough. Chill for 30 minutes.

2)    Mix the apple slices with the lemon juice then add the blackberries, sugar and cornflour and toss together.

3)    Lightly knead the pastry then roll out on a lightly floured surface until a rough shaped circle about 33 cm (13 inches) in diameter. Lift over a rolling pin on to a large baking sheet. Pile the fruit mix high in the centre then fold the pastry up and over the filling, leaving the centre uncovered and pleating the pastry slightly to make a large round pie.

Brush the top edges of the pastry with beaten egg or milk then sprinkle with a little caster sugar. Bake in a preheated oven set to 190°c (375°F) Gas Mark 5 for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the fruit tender. Serve warm cut into wedges with scoops of vanilla ice cream.