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Apple and blackcurrant pie from Ireland

Apples and blackcurrants are fruits that grow well in Ireland, so they appear often in their fruit pies. Instead of blackcurrants, you can use blackberries for this pie.

Ingredients

2 c flour (all purpose, plus 2 Tbs for filling)
6 1⁄2 T sugar (1 tsp for crust, 1 Tbs for decoration, rest for filling)
1⁄2 t salt
1 1⁄4 c butter
  water (chilled water)
6 apple (cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, thick slices)
1 1⁄2 c blackcurrants (fresh and washed, or frozen)
1⁄2 t nutmeg (grated)
2 T milk (for brushing)

Instructions

Crust

In a bowl, mix the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture, with a metal rounded knife or a pastry blender, using a back and forth motion until the mixture looks like small peas.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over the flour mixture and gently mix with a metal spoon. Add 1 more tablespoon of water and mix again. The dough will come together forming larger balls. Repeat if necessary.

Form the dough into a ball. Divide into 2 pieces and flatten each piece into a round disk. Chill both rounds in the refrigerator to rest for 10 minutes.

Filling

Reserve 1 tablespoon of sugar for decoration.

Place the apple pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and mix. Now add the blackcurrants, the rest of the sugar, and the nutmeg, stir carefully to mix - blackcurrants are delicate and easy to break. Reserve.

Pie

Heat oven to 375°F.

Roll one of the rounds on a lightly floured surface, to make a 1/2 inch thick circle. Transfer to a pie dish. Press the dough in place and trim the edge so it is a little longer than the dish, about 1/2 inch longer.

Distribute the filling evenly into the pie dish.

Roll the second round to make a 1/2 inch circle, place on the pie dish, on top of the filling, and trim the edge so it is even with the bottom crust.

Press both edges together making a fluted edge.

Cut 2-3 small slits on the top to let the steam out, brush with milk, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Bake in the middle rack or about 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Total time
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cooking time
50
Preparation time
40
Yield
8 servings

Notes

If the dough ball is slightly dry, add a little more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time.

To make easy moving the pastry rounds to and from the refrigerator, place each one over grease proof paper or into a plastic bag.

The easiest way transfer the rolled pastry to the pie dish, is to roll the circle onto the rolling pin and unroll on top of the dish.

It helps if the bowl for the pastry and the metal utensils used to make the pastry are cold. You could place them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before making pastry.

To save time, you can use ready made shortcrust pastry, or a ready made pie crust.

Source

Irish cuisine

A wonderful dessert to finish any Irish themed meal. Try this recipe the next Saint Patrick's Day.

moderate, comfort
dessert, baking
Irish food recipes
Food in Europe