Apple and Berry Pie | Book of Elsa

This is a weekender recipe, I don't apologise for it either. There is no way I would make this unless I had time to seriously devote to it. I give a recipe for sweet shortcrust pastry because it's worth making your own in this case. But, if you don't feel that way inclined for any reason then good all buter shop bought is fine. I would say to make the pastry dough the day before.

Apple and Berry Pie 

Pastry: 

250g unsalted butter at room temperature 

175g icing sugar 

2 eggs 

400g plain flour 

Fat pinch of salt 

Filling: 

1 egg white 

6 eating apples 

2 tablespoons of caster sugar  

50g unsalted butter 

1 lemon  

100g frozen berries 

1 tablespoon cornflour 

star anis, cloves and cardamom <optional>

Method: 

For the pastry, cream together the butter and sugar very lightly in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment. 

Gradually add the eggs, make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl so that all the ingredients are uniformly mixed. 

Add the flour and salt and mix until you have a combined dough. Divide in two then flatten out slightly and wrap in cling film.  

Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. 

In the meantime <generally the next day> make the filling by cooking peeled and sliced apples with lemon zest and juice, sugar, butter and spices if using in a small-ish saucepan until they turn into mush but still have some bite.  

Take off the heat and add the cornflour and berries. Let cool completely. 

Preheat the oven at 190°C  

Roll out the first pastry half to fit a tin that is oiled and lightly floured. Trim away the excess, brush with an egg white, then pour in the cooled filling and pop in the fridge whilst you roll out the second bit of pastry. 

Lay the 2nd disk on top of the fruit filling and crimp the top. Brush with left over egg white and refrigerate for 20 minutes, make a hole to let steam escape. Bake for 40 minutes.