Apple and Redcurrant Pie

Pastry

225g (8 oz) plain flour

100g (4oz) butter or margarine

Pinch of salt, Cold water to mix

Milk to glaze, Sprinkling of caster sugar

Filling 

675g (1½lbs) of cooking apples, cored and quartered

225g (8oz) redcurrants (or blackcurrants, blackberries, etc if preferred)

Approximately 3 tablespoons of sugar, to taste

1 tablespoon semolina, (optional) 

Use: Silverwoods 9 inch Fluted Pie Dish

Instructions

Begin by making the pastry. Sift together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Lightly rub in the butter or margarine, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sufficient cold water a little at a time, mixing with a knife to a stiff dough, which will leave the bowl cleanly. Knead lightly and then put into a polythene bag and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Peel, core and quarter the apples, toss in sugar and put into a microwave dish or saucepan. Cook to soften the apples (time according to manufacturers' guidelines if using a microwave oven). Remove and check for sweetness. Add more sugar if desired then add redcurrants, stirring gently to disperse evenly. Allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas 6).

Remove the chilled pastry from the polythene bag and cut the pastry in half.  Take one half and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a circle approximately 28 cm (11cm) diameter. Line the pie dish, without stretching the pastry and trim the edge to remove the excess. (Optional - Before spooning in the filling, you can sprinkle the semolina onto the pastry base to soak up the juices and keep the pastry crisper.) 

Pile the fruit filling into the pie dish, mounding it slightly in the centre. Roll out the remaining pastry as above. Brush the pastry on the rim of the dish with a little milk and lay the pastry top carefully over the dish so that it totally covers the pie. Press the edges together, trim off the excess and flute the edges. Make a small hole in the centre of the top to allow steam to escape. Brush the pie top with milk and bake in the oven until golden brown (approx 20 minutes)

Remove from oven, sprinkle with caster sugar and serve hot, warm or cool.

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