Blackberry-Apple Pie

My first entry with my first recipe: Blackberry-Apple Pie (Inspired by Martha’s Blackberry-Apricot Galette). I say inspired by, because as a baker I tend to change a few things here and there on recipes.

As many of you know I have a quite an abundance of blackberries in my new back yard. (FYI blackberries are a pain to pick! Literally!) I can’t seem to get out there fast enough to pick them before they shrivel up like raisins. I have been able to pick quite a few though. I also have three (yes there!) apple trees. I know Martha calls for apricot in her recipe, but since I can get plenty of apples for FREE I chose those over the apricots. J

To begin I first had to go through the treacherous task of gathering my fresh fruit. The apples were not painful, but a bit tricky to find ones without wormholes in them. Though I confess, I did use some with holes, but don’t worry, I cut all the bad parts out! The blackberries were the problem. Not only are blackberry bushes the MOST evil of bushes because they are COVERED with prickly thorns, but the farther in you seem to step, the more spiders you seem to find. In my opinion I’d rather the thorns over the spiders, because at least you know you can’t die from getting a thorn scratch. With the help of cardboard boxes, long pants, and shoes that weren’t made out of foam, I was able to get all the blackberries, plus some, for my pie.

I washed the berries and let them drain, while I started on my pie dough. Martha’s recipe calls for her Cornmeal Paté Brisee (which is French for tart dough), but I wanted to make a more traditional pie rather than her rustic “galette.” So I used my own pie crust recipe. (Val say’s this is cheating…) I did end up changing my recipe a bit by substituting a cup of white flour for a cup of whole-wheat flour, (which I would later find that I didn’t like it…) I mix my dough together using homemade fresh butter (courtesy of Tom and Jim’s farm J) with my hands. I don’t own a pastry blender, but I’ve found that your hands work just as well or better, because your hands warm the butter a little, which combines the dough better. It’s just a little messier. J I usually put in a few tablespoons of vinegar as well to make the crust flakeier, but alas, I am out, so I continue with water and chill it in the fridge while I work on my filling.

I peel my apples with a peeler I found from our old camping supplies. It doubles as a corer as well. This was a bad idea. The peeler was SO dull that I had to press so hard it wasn’t any easier than a knife, PLUS I ended up jabbing my thumb with one of coring points. Into the trash that goes and I finish with a sharp knife. I slice, core, and put my apples into citric acid water to prevent them from browning. I mixed the sugar, berries, apples, lemon juice, and instead of using cornstarch to thicken the mixture I used tapioca – (besides I have TONS of tapioca and no cornstarch). Weird right? Who has tapioca and no cornstarch? Yes, me. Though I wouldn’t have any tapioca if Matt hadn’t brought me a huge ton of it from work. I also added ¼ teaspoon cinnamon even though the recipe didn’t call for it, but I thought it would be good with the apples and add warmth. Cinnamon always makes me feel warm. J

So I’ve let my dough chill for while, not quite an hour. Which I find was too long, only because the fresh butter gets much harder than store bought butter. After the dough warms up a bit I roll it out and put it in my glass pan. I pour my filling into the crust, which I found was a bit shallow for how tall my pie pan was, so I took my extra apples and arranged them in a circle around the edge and pile my extra berries in the middle. Though after baking you wouldn’t be able to tell this at all! The apples were so completely dyed by the blackberries it didn’t look much different from each other. J I decided that I would do a lattice crust on top, so I roll out my other half of dough and slice them into strips. This is when I realize that I really do need a pizza cutter! J A knife just doesn’t cut it. Literally! J I made it work though. I put an egg wash over top and sprinkled it with sugar.

The best part is actually placing the pie in the oven though. Although, it’s also the worst part, because you can smell it, but you have to wait till it’s done. ;) While it was baking though, for some reason, I kept smelling macaroni and cheese! Haha, a berry pie smelling of macaroni and cheese? I don’t know, I must be crazy! Anyway, it turned out great. The apples could have been cooked a little longer and it was a little tart for my taste, but it was good. The crust was not so much… I decided that I will not put whole-wheat flour in my pie crust again. It was really tough and without the vinegar it wasn’t flakey either. Oh well, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can try again. J