Apple & Blackberry Tart

In my opinion apple tart/pie is a certain way. It has a pastry base, filled with bitter apples, sugar and then covered with more pastry. This does not seem to be the case everywhere… and it’s hard for me to get people to realise that our way is pretty damn good…without sounding irrational.

The Germans have their apple cake and apple strudel , The Swedes do more of a pie meets crumble assortment and then there’s The Dutch version (appeltaart) which is fine. Appeltaart has got the pastry and it’s got the apples but I think it’s the apples where they are lead astray. From what I’ve heard they use mostly eating apples or slightly bitter ones but then on the other side of the water we use cooking apples which are very bitter and tart so when you add the sugar it sweetens them a bit but you’re still left with that bitter appley taste. Although, they do add cinnamon and sometimes a crunchy top which can be really nice paired with some cream.
But if it were to come to a showdown….I’m sorry cinnamon, it just wasn’t enough.

This recipe is from my mum and possibly her mum before that. I’ve grown up with this taste, so maybe that’s why i’m a bit particular about it. The crust on this tart is really something special, it’s so buttery and crisp and then when the soft bitter fruit is slipped in between you know this is a recipe to pass on. So here it is, mammy fox’s apple tart.

This recipe makes 2 pies

Ingredients for Pastry
450g  plain flour
280g butter chilled and cubed
30g  sugar
1 egg
100ml of water

Ingredients for filling
4 medium Cooking apples (e.g. bramley)
125g of Blackberries
100g of caster/granulated Sugar (use enough to cover the fruit so you may need more/less)

Method
Start by sieving the flour into a large mixing bowl, add in the cubed butter and begin to rub in the flour with the butter with your fingers. This process may take a while but it can be quite therapeutic (if you want to look at the bright side) rub together until it feels like breadcrumbs and there are no lumps. Then, add in the sugar and mix with a spoon.
In another bowl, beat an egg into the water and then add this mixture a little at a time into the flour mixture.

Bring the  dough together with your hands and if too brittle add more water but in very small amounts, and if too wet add a little more flour. Then, you should have a soft but not hard ball of dough, also not sticky.
Cover with some cling-film and leave to rest over night or for an hour in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to about 160°C or 320°F.
Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and split into 4 equal parts. Roll out your first portion onto a lightly floured surface to a shape and thickness that will cover your pie dish. Place the pastry over the dish, so that the pastry hangs over the sides slightly. Press the pastry down onto the rim of the dish (I used a 9″/23cm dish for mine, so measured it out to about 12″)

Blind bake with a layer of tinfoil for about 15mins or until the pastry is a little whiter and seems to of hardened somewhat. Take out of the oven, and remove the tinfoil and baking beans but leave in the pie dish. Add sugar, chopped apples and blackberries into a bowl. Make sure to have all the fruit covered in sugar, It may seem excessive but when baked the sugar will even out the bitterness of the fruit.

Place all the fruit into the pastry base, then roll out a second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn it over onto the top of the apples in the pie, acting like a cover. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork or by hand and then slice away the excess dough from the edges, so there is a clean cut edge. In a small bowl mix an egg with a dash of milk, and then brush this over the whole pie to give a golden glaze over the whole top when it’s cooked. At this stage prick some holes or make some slashes across the top to let out some steam during the baking process.

Bake in the oven for about 40mins or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Best eaten while still warm, with a dollop of cream and a good cup of tea.

Let me know how the pie turns out for you, or if you have a different style of making apple pie/tart.