Blackberry picking always reminds me of my childhood. Quiet late summer evenings were spent grazing the edges of golden fields, slowly wandering down the sides of little lane ways in search of overgrown brambles full and heavy with blackberries ripe for the picking. Time was spent in comfortable silences with my mom, as we focused on finding the biggest, plumpest fruits on offer, quickly passing over the bushes which had already been scoured by fellow, free, berry hunters. With a warm smile she would bend down the brambles of the higher bushes, so I could reach them and squeeze the little black pearls off into my red bucket, being extraordinarily careful so not to get pricked by the giant thorns.
By the end of a long evening out in the open, with pink stained fingers, we would bring the buckets, heavy with our bounty, back through the dusk light to the kitchen. I would be occupied with stirring the pot, standing on a stool, while she got on with making fresh scones. All the while the comforting smells of hot blackberries wafted around the room. Cold butter melting rapidly on a freshly baked warm scone, served with a little runny blackberry jam was always the best way to end those evenings.
Homemade Blackberry and Apple Tart
(Adapted from FoodandWine.com)
I absolutely love the look of this pie, it is the epitome of everything home baking should be- local ingredients, homemade pastry and little bit of love and care thrown in for good measure! If you can't get your hands on cooking apples, pears also work nicely in this tart.
Serves 6-8
Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
170g cold butter, cut into cubes
2 large egg yolks mixed with 3 tablespoons water
Filling:
750g blackberries
750g cooking apples, peeled cored and sliced into small chunks
100g cup granulated sugar
35g flour
1 large egg yolk, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
A little extra sprinkle of sugar on top
In a mixing bowl, using your fingertips, combine the dry ingredients with the butter, until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. It takes a few minutes but it will eventually come together.
Add the egg yolk mixture and combine until you get large clumps. Turn the pastry out onto a work surface and form it into a disc. Wrap the pastry in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Make sure to take the pastry out and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry to an 11 1/2-inch round. Gently lift the pastry with a tray or the rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch tart pan 1 inch deep. Press into the pan, folding in the overhanging dough to reinforce the sides. Trim the overhang and knead the scraps into the remaining dough.
Dust the work surface with flour again and roll out the remaining pastry to a 9 1/2-inch round. Using a pastry wheel, cut the round into 3/4-inch-wide strips.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a bowl, toss the blackberries, apples, sugar and flour; spoon into the tart shell. Scatter the butter on top. Arrange the strips over the berries in a lattice pattern, pressing the ends onto the pastry rim. (Just think over under and start from one corner of the pie) Trim any excess pastry. Brush the lattice with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with a little extra sugar.
Bake the tart for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbling. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
