Two classic fall fruits are combined in this generously filled pie. It produces a fruity sauce, which thickens itself and coats the fruit as it bakes. The pastry cooks best if you use a metal pie pan.
Serves 6
Special equipment
1–11⁄2 quart (900 ml–1 liter) metal pie pan, about 9in (23cm) diameter and 11⁄2in (3.5cm) deep
13⁄4 lb (800 g) tart apples, such as Granny Smith
1 tbsp lemon juice
1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
8 oz (225 g) blackberries
fresh cream, custard, or vanilla ice cream, to serve
For the pastry
21⁄4 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
12 tbsp (175 g) cold butter, cut into small cubes
about 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
2 tsp granulated sugar, to glaze
1. Make the pastry: put the flour in a large bowl with the butter. Rub together with your fingertips until you have incorporated all the butter. Add about 6 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture holds together. Gently gather up, then pat into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut off just over half the pastry and leave the rest wrapped. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the pastry into a circle about 14in (35cm) across. (See Make a light pastry crust.)
2. Carefully line the pie pan with the pastry (see Line the pan without stretching). Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
3. Quarter, peel, and core the apples, then cut them into slices about 1⁄4in (5mm) thick. Put them in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Mix the sugar with the cornstarch and cinnamon in a bowl, then toss with the apples. Add in the blackberries and briefly toss everything together. Be gentle when tossing, or the fruit will break up. Pour the fruit into the pastry-lined pan. (See Fill, cover, and seal the pie securely, step 1.)
4. Make the top crust: roll out the remaining piece of pastry as before, into a 12in (30cm) circle. Brush the rim of the pastry lining the pan with a little milk. Place the folded pastry circle on the apples and unfold to cover the pie. Press the pastry edges down to seal, and trim off the excess with a small, sharp knife. Holding the knife horizontally and with its back to the cut edge of the pie, tap all around to secure the seal. Crimp the pie edge using your fingers. (See Fill, cover, and seal the pie securely, step 2.) Cut a small slit in the center, about 3⁄4in (2cm) long, to release steam.
5. Reroll the pastry trimmings and cut out pastry leaves. Brush the top crust with milk. Arrange the leaves in a circle around the steam hole. Brush the leaves with milk and sprinkle the top of the pie with the 2 teaspoons of sugar.
6. Put the pie pan on the heated baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake for another 30–35 minutes. Remove and let the pie sit for 5–10 minutes to allow the juices to settle before serving. Serve with cream, custard, or ice cream.
FALL FRUIT PIE
KEYS TO PERFECTION
Make a light pastry crust
1 It’s important to keep utensils, hands, and ingredients cool for pastry. Use chilled butter straight from the fridge, otherwise it will be too soft to handle. Lightly rub the flour and butter together until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, lifting the mixture up as you rub in, which will aerate it, too.
2 Add just enough water to bind the mixture together. Start with the 6 tablespoons, adding only a few drops more if needed to bring it together, since too much water can cause the pastry to be tough. Work gently with your hands to bring together into a rough ball. To keep the pastry light, do not over-handle it.
3 Roll out just over half the chilled dough, flouring the work surface and the rolling pin first to prevent sticking. Don’t use too much flour, or it will make the pastry dry. To prevent shrinkage later, roll the dough on one side only (so don’t turn it over as you roll) and use short, sharp strokes in one direction only, giving a quarter turn between rollings so it rolls out evenly.
Fruit baked in a pie with sugar can create a lot of liquid, so I combine some cornstarch with the sugar and cinnamon and toss the apples in the mixture, which helps to thicken the fruit juices that are released as the pie bakes. It’s important not to add too much sugar, as this draws out juice from the fruit, and if there’s too much it will overflow during baking. You can always offer extra sugar at the table if diners have a sweet tooth.
Line the pan without stretching
1 When lining the pan, it’s easy to stretch the pastry, which will cause it to shrink back in the oven. The best way I find to minimize stretching is to fold the rolled-out pastry in half, then in half again, to resemble a fan shape. I then carefully lay it in the pan with the point in the center. Use floured hands to prevent sticking.
2 Now unfold the pastry and ease it into the tin without stretching or pulling, so it fits snugly into the base and up the side. It’s fine to have some pastry hanging over the edge, as it will get trimmed off later. Do not grease the pie pan before putting in the pastry. It is unnecessary and can cause the pastry to stick.
Fill, cover, and seal the pie securely
1 Fill the crust with the fruit mixture, mounding it up slightly in the center. Mounding the mixture keeps the fruit away from the pastry edge, so you can seal that easily when the top goes on. Also, it gives the pie a good shape. The fruit will settle as it softens, so without mounding the pie could end up with a dip in the center.
2 After you’ve sealed and trimmed the pie edge, and tapped around it with the back of a knife, crimp (or flute) the edge. Use your thumb and index finger of one hand to pinch the outer edge of the pastry while pushing the index finger of your other hand between them and upward slightly. Continue all around the pie edge at even intervals.