Cooking with Clemmie

I’d like to share one of my cherished baking recipes – a delicious blackberry and apple pie (aka Bramble pie), bursting with the flavours of the season! My mischievous yet utterly charming granddaughter, Clemmie, played a part by hand-picking the blackberries from our very own garden. Join me as I unveil this effortless recipe, perfect for all your autumn gatherings.

Ingredients

For the pastry…

350g/ 12oz plain flour plus extra for dusting
175g/ 6oz cold butter cut into small cubes
6 tbsp of cold water
Milk and egg to glaze
1 tsp demerara sugar to sprinkle
Pie dish about 23cm diameter and 3.5cm deep

For the filling…

250g/ 9oz Blackberries
5-6 Medium Apples peeled, cored and diced (using eating apples to avoid adding too much of sugar)
1 Tablespoon corn flour
40g/ 1.5 oz butter
1 tsp sugar
Lemon zest of 1 lemon
Lemon juice (half of lemon approximately or more if needed)
Mixed spice: Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves – to taste

Once you have mixed the ingredients together, add the blackberries. Now, with your filling prepared, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, large enough to cover the pie. Slice it into ten delicate strips, each approximately about 2cm wide.

Place the strips on top of the pie filling, weaving them together in a lattice pattern. Trim any excess pastry so that it aligns perfectly with the edges of the pie case. To add a final touch of magic, flute the edges with care. Lastly, glaze the top of the pie with a little milk.

Start by placing the flour into a generous bowl alongside the cubed butter and use your fingertips to mix the two together. Alternatively, for a quicker approach, add the flour and butter into a food processor and whirl them together until the mixture takes on the appearance of fine breadcrumbs.

Then, gently introduce approximately 6 tablespoons of cold water, just enough to coax the mixture into a cohesive form. With great care, gather the dough, pat it into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour (though leaving it overnight is the ultimate secret).

Next, add all the seasonal filling ingredients to a saucepan, excluding the blackberries and corn flour. Allow this mixture to heat on the hob for a few minutes, then remove it away from the heat and gently introduce the corn flour.

Finally, place the pie in a preheated oven on 220°C for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 30 minutes or until golden brown.

I hope my home recipe has encouraged and inspired you to get your hands into some cooking. We even made a tiny Bramble pie especially for Clemmie! Don’t forget to share your creations with us, and happy baking. Kit x