Apple Blackberry Pie

2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

For the Pastry

• 8 oz all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 oz butter

• 2 oz shortening

• 3-4 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling

• 2 lbs apples

• 3/4 cup blackberries

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1/2 cinnamon stick

• zest of half a lemon

• 1 egg

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. For the pastry, sift together the flour and salt, then rub in the butter and shortening until it resembles very soft crumbs.

3. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the pastry sticks together enough to be rolled out. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying out until ready to cover the pie.

4. For the filling, peel and core the apples. Then put the peels and cores into a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup.

5. Strain the liquid into another pan and add a sprinlking of the sugar and the cinnamon stick. Simmer for two minutes, then remove from the heat, leaving the cinnamon stick in to infuse.

6. Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Slice the apples, and add half of them to the dish, then sprinkle half of the remaining sugar on top.

7. Add the rest of the apples and the blackberries, then sprinkle the rest of the sugar and the lemon zest on top.

8. Roll out the pastry so that it's about two inches wider than the top of the pie plate, then cut out the circle for the top, leaving the extra width. Take that extra pastry, wet the rim of the dish with a little water, and lay it all around the rim.

9. Do the same for the top: wet the dough on the rim and lay the top circle over the pie. Crimp to close, and make small slits in the center.

10. If you have any extra crust, have fun making some designs to put on top.

11. Beat the egg and brush over the crust, then bake for 35-40 minutes. (Check the crust after 25 minutes; if it is already browned, it may need to be covered with parchment paper to keep it from getting burned.)

Adapted from The Jane Austen Cookbook by Maggie Black and Deirdre Le Faye.