I Want Pie
Sometimes it’s the classic recipes that are always the best. After hearing my husbands want for a traditional style Gluten Free Apple and Blackberry Pie, my craving for this classic combination was irreversible. Just like walking past a fish and chip shop and not being able to think of anything else but that irresistible smell of chips until you’ve devoured them. Thoughts began to emerge of hot piping custard and sweet cinnamon sugar; this pie was to be made in a matter of urgency.
I sent husband on a shop run for a mixture of apples- Bramley and Cox. I find having a mixture of sharp and sweet apples in an apple pie is much better as although it is sweetened with sugar a tiny bit, the natural sweetness from a sweet apple like a Cox is going to give a much better flavour than piling in the sugar.
I never really cook with Blackberries and until making this pie i have no idea why i haven’t been! These are wonderful bullets of natural colouring that would do wonders to any seasonal birthday cake or dessert. If you’re making this pie with kids, i’m sure you will all enjoy the moment that this filling becomes the jammy texture you’ve been waiting for, if there was a moment to define ‘licking the spoon’ i’m pretty sure that would be it. Our saucepan was scraped until sadly, we had to wait until the pie was cooked until we could taste that sweet purply goodness once more!
Gluten Free Apple and Blackberry Pie
You will need a 23inch fluted deep pie dish and 4 sheets of Greaseproof Baking Paper
400g Gluten Free Plain Flour (I used Doves Farm)
200g Unsalted Cold Butter cut into cubes
4-8 Teaspoons of Ice Cold Water
1 Egg
2 Large Bramley Apples: Peeled, Cored and Cut into even chunks
3 Cox Apples: Peeled, Cored and Cut into even chunks
3 Tablespoons of Caster Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons of water
4 Cloves
2 Teaspoons of Ground Ginger
Grating of Nutmeg
150g Blackberries
To make your pie pastry, pop the flour, butter into a food processor and pulse until well mixed together. Slowly add in the cold water bit by bit and pulse until this naturally clumps into a ball. Do not add too much water, just until it combines well.
Divide the mixture into 2 even balls.
Pop one ball in between two sheets of greaseproof paper and roll out until it’s wider than your pie tray (you could trace the diameter onto your paper beforehand if it helps). Do exactly the same with the other two bits of greaseproof paper and ball of pastry.
Put the rolled pastry (with paper) straight into the fridge for 40-60 minutes until cold.
Meanwhile, make your pie filling and set the oven to 180 degrees.
In a medium- large saucepan, put in your chopped apples and coat them with cinnamon, sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and water. Put the pan on a medium heat and cook slowly until the sugar begins to dissolve and the apples soften. Stir continuously.
When the apples are softened, add in a touch more sugar along with the blackberries. Turn up the heat for 2 minutes until the mixture turns slightly jammy and the blackberries have softened- but not dissolved completely. Take off the heat and set aside.
Get your pastry out of the fridge and line the bottom of your pie tin with one sheet of the rolled pastry ( You may wish to grease the pie tin if it is not non-stick) Simply take off one side of greaseproof paper and flip it in using the other piece of greaseproof paper! Peel off the paper.
Fill the pie dish with your apple and blackberry filling.
Top with the other sheet of pastry, just as before and removing the top layer of greaseproof paper.
Flute the edges and make a few holes in the top and any additional decorations you wish to add.
Whisk up an egg yolk and use a pastry brush to coat the entirety of the pastry. Keep the rest of the egg aside until half way through cooking.
Pop into the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Half way through give the pastry another brush of egg yolk- this will give it a lovely golden finish.
Enjoy with cream, ice cream or piping hot custard!
