Autumn Fruit Pie

To make the pastry,  briefly blend the flour, nuts, sugar, cinnamon, sea salt and vanilla paste in a food processor. Add the chilled butter and vegetable shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the orange zest and the beaten egg and pulse again. Remove the lid and press some of the mixture together, if it looks a little dry or cracks when pressed together add a tablespoon of chilled water. You may need more or none at all depending on the moisture in the ingredients.

Tip the dough onto your work surface and form it into a ball, flatten and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate until just firm enough to roll out – about 30 minutes.

Make the filling by peeling, coring and slicing the apples thinly. Place in a bowl, squeeze in the orange juice and then add all the other ingredients.

Butter and lightly flour a 30cm pizza or baking dish. Roll out 1/3 of the dough on floured work surface to approximately 34cm round and line the base, pressing it gently into place. The pastry will be larger than the base, but you will use this to form and edge for the lid.

Fold the edges of the pastry in so it forms a boarder all the way round. Brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle the ground rice over the pastry base. Pile in the filling, roll out the rest of the pastry to cover the top. Press the edges together and pinch using your index finger and thumb creating a decorative finish. Cover and chill until cold – about 30 minutes.

Glaze the top with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven 180°C/ Fan 160°C/Gas 4 and cook for 25 minutes, then turn down the oven to 150°C/Fan 130°C/Gas 3 and cook for a further 20 minutes. The finished pie should be beautifully golden. Serve warm with whipped double cream, Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche

 

 

Ingredients

Cinnamon Pastry

  • 500g all purpose flour
  • 100g walnuts or slivered almonds, toasted and ground
  • 4 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 200g chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1.5cm pieces
  • 75g chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1.5cm pieces
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • A little chilled water, if needed

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons ground rice
  • 600g (prepared weight) of sliced Bramley apples
  • 6 plums or 12 damsons, halved and stones removed
  • Juice of 1⁄2 an orange
  • 12 soft, dried apricots, halved
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 6 dried pear halves, sliced
  • 12 soft amaretti biscuits
  • 1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 nuggets of stem ginger, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons brandy
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour

Finishing

  • 1 medium egg beaten
  • 2 tablespoons demerara sugar