A two-crust apple pie with blackberries, lemon and coriander as a “surprise” ingredient. This version of apple pie sort of just happened and we prefer it to the apple pie with the expected spices of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Jeff Murphy, winemaker at Johnson Estate Winery, recommends pairing with a Chambourcin wine, which features berry flavors to complement those in the pie.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups white flour (pastry/organic as you prefer)
- ¼ cup ground flax seed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup lard (or butter)
- ½ cup grapeseed oil
- 4 tablespoons very cold water plus 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 6 medium-sized apples (mixed variety fine)
- 1 cup frozen or fresh blackberries
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons white flour/arrowroot/ cassava flour for thickening
- 1 teaspoon coriander
Instructions
Crust
Mix first 4 dry ingredients and then add lard/butter and oil until the flour is sort of “pebbly,” the size of large peas.
Mix vinegar with COLD water and add 2 tablespoons at a time to the flour. Quickly mix until you have a soft, but not too sticky, dough.
Divide the dough in half and roll each thinly between 2 pieces of wax paper so as to fit an 8- to 9-inch pie plate. With the lard crust, it can be sticky; make certain that you sprinkle additional flour as needed onto the dough so that it does not stick to the wax paper.
Pie Filling
Peel the apples if you prefer, but the skins add color and nutritional value. Cut the apples into quarters and core them. Then slice or cut into small pieces and place into a large bowl.
Add lemon juice, zest and blackberries.
Mix flour, sugar and coriander and pour over sliced apples and blackberries.
Assembly
Line an 8- to 9-inch glass pie plate with 1 crust, removing the wax paper, being careful not to tear any holes in the crust.
Add the apple mixture, taking care that there is not much space between the apple pieces—you need not place the pieces individually, but try to fill the pie plate carefully.
To add the top crust, wet 1 finger with water and use it to moisten the edge of the crust. Peel 1 piece of wax paper from the second rolled crust and with a sharp knife, cut small slits (or your own design) in the top crust. Then, place the crust carefully on top of the apples, crust side down. Remove the second piece of wax paper and press the edges of the top crust onto the bottom crust to seal. Dock with a fork or with your fingers, making a pattern around the edge. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the crust is lightly toasted.
Note on Apple Varieties:
Some say that the best apple pies are the ones that utilize a mixture of different types of apples. We love pies that include crisp tart apples like Northern Spy, Rome, or Granny Smith, but this recipe’s use of lemon offsets the need for tart apples. Softer apples, like McIntosh, will require somewhat shorter baking time.
