For the pastry
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500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
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100 g icing sugar
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1 pinch sea salt
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250 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
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2 large free-range eggs
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1 splash milk
For the filling
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10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and halved, 3 sliced
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juice and zest of 2 oranges
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7 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
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400 g huckleberries or blueberries
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1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
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1 large free-range egg, beaten
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1 small handful demerara sugar
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good-quality vanilla ice cream, optional, to serve
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cream, optional, to serve
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custard, optional, to serve
Method
You can make your pastry by hand, or simply pulse all the
ingredients in a food processor. If making by hand, sieve the flour,
icing sugar and salt from a height into a large mixing bowl. Use your
fingertips to gently work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar
until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Transfer a handful of this
mixture to a separate bowl, rub it between your fingers to get larger
crumbs, then put aside. Add the eggs and milk to the main mixture and
gently work it together until you have a ball of pastry dough. Don't
work it too much at this stage – you want to keep it crumbly and short.
Sprinkle a little flour over the pastry, then wrap it in cling film and
pop it into the fridge to rest for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, put the apples into a large pan with the zest and juice of 1
orange, a splash of water and 5 tablespoons of caster sugar. Cover the
pan and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes, until the apples have
softened but still hold their shape. Remove from the heat and leave to
cool. Scrunch a handful of berries in a bowl with the remaining caster
sugar and the zest and juice of your remaining orange. Add the rest of
the berries. Toss the cooled apples and their juices in a large bowl
with the berries and the flour, then put aside.
Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Take your ball of pastry out of
the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Get yourself a pie
dish around 28cm in diameter. Flour a clean surface and a rolling pin.
Cut off a third of your pastry and put that piece to one side. Roll the
rest into a circle just over 0.5cm thick, dusting with flour as you go.
Roll the circle of pastry up over your rolling pin, then gently unroll
it over the pie dish. Push it into the sides, letting any excess pastry
hang over the edge. Tip in the fruit filling and brush all around the
edge of the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Roll out the smaller
ball of pastry about 0.5cm thick and use your rolling pin to lay it over
the top of the pie. Brush it all over with more beaten egg, reserving a
little. Sprinkle over the reserved crumble mixture and the demerara
sugar.
Fold the scruffy edges of pastry hanging over the sides back over the
pie, sealing the edge by twisting or crimping it as you like. Brush
these folded edges with your remaining beaten egg. Using a small, sharp
knife, cut a cross into the middle of the pie. Place on the bottom of
the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden and beautiful.
Serve with ice cream, cream or custard.
