Going through the freezer late last night, I realized I hardly used the berries that I’d meticulously frozen at the end of summer. Too good and precious to be wasted, I decided to put them to good use!
With the abundance of fruit and all sorts of berries and currants, pie makes for a perfect summer treat but I have to say it’s even better on a cold winter day. Nothing pleases more than digging into a juicy berry pie to reveal its hidden purple treasure and the deep scent of summer. It will immediately make you long for a hot summer day.
I was inspired by the recipe for mucky-mouth slab pie from the Olive magazine because of the use of soft cheese in pastry. I did amend the recipe a little and it worked beautifully. The cream cheese is a like a secret weapon. It helps make a pastry that holds together and stays tender no matter the amount of manhandling you put it through. And the flavour…it’s even great to eat just by itself without filling!
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- 400 g plain flour
- 4 tsp caster sugar
- 300 g unsalted butter, chilled and diced plus extra for the tins
- 210 g Philadelphia or other soft cheese
- 200 g cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 500 g fresh or frozen berries
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 150 g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, optional
Ingredients
PASTRY
FILLING
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- Put the flour, sugar and ½ tsp of salt in a food processor. Whizz in the butter until no large lumps remain, then add the soft cheese in small spoonfuls, and pulse until the mixture comes together into a ball of dough. Or you can do it by hand and knead in the bowl until dough starts to hold together. If your dough is still crumbly, add 1 or 2 tbsp of ice cold water.
- Butter the base of your baking tins (use loose-bottomed tins preferably) and line with baking paper. Roll out ½ of the dough into 4 circles about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, on a lightly floured surface. Don't worry if it rips, just press the dough back together. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface or use a parchment paper to roll on. Drape the circles into the tins to line in and put in the fridge to chill while you work on decorating the top and making the filling.
- Toss together all the filling ingredients in a bowl, then tip into the chilled pie base and use a sharp knife to neatly trim the overhanging pastry so the top is just above the filling.
- Roll out the other piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. It's entirely up to you to decide what you want to have on top - you can cut out lids, strips for lattice or any other decorative pattern with cutters. Use up any leftover dough if needed.
- Brush the border with beaten egg, then place cutouts, lid or lattice on top of the filling. Trim the edges so the pastry top will fit snugly inside the tin. You can use a fork to seal. Transfer the pies to the fridge for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F)/fan 180C/gas 6 with a baking sheet in it.
- Brush the tops with egg, sprinkle with golden caster sugar and carefully put the pies on top of the preheated baking sheet. Bake for about 30-35 minutes - until the crust is deep brown, with the juices bubbling through it. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.
Omg those pies look phenomenal!! I love your series of photos too!!
Aww, thank you so much! That’s very kind of you to say this.