Apple and Bramble Pie

I made this delicious apple pie today with a decorative top. The filling is very adaptable, I used Braeburn apples instead of cooking and blueberries instead of blackberries. Other possible additions are cinnamon, orange or lemon zest, dark muscovado sugar, cranberries or raspberries.

 For the sweet shortcrust pastry:

• 225g plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 60g caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• about 3 tbsp ice-cold water

 For the filling:

• 900g Bramley or other cooking apples
• 200g blackberries
• about 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water

a deep pie dish, about 1 litre

1. Sift the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl or pulse in a food processor. Add the diced butter and rub in or process, until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in enough ice-cold water to bind the mixture to a soft but not sticky dough.
2. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes while preparing the fruit. Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Peel, core and thickly slice the apples and put them into a mixing bowl. Rinse the blackberries and add to the apples with the sugar. Toss gently until combined, then pile the fruit into the pie dish, mounding it well in the centre so it supports the pastry and spoon over the water. 
3. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to an oval about 7cm larger all round than the dish. Cut off a strip of pastry about 1cm wide and long enough to fit around the rim of the dish. Dampen the rim of the dish and press the pastry strip on to it. Dampen the pastry rim. Roll the pastry around the rolling pin and lift it over the dish, then gently lay the dough over the dish so it completely covers the pie. Press the dough on to the pastry rim to seal the lid to the dish. Trim off the excess dough to make decorations. 'Knock up' the edges of the pastry and make a scalloped or fluted rim. Stick any decorations to the top with water and cut a couple of small steam-holes.
4. Bake in the heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

(Recipe taken from "The Great British Book of Baking" by Linda Collister)