This is something of a cross between a galette and a pie, and it's so autumnal I can barely stand it. It's sweater weather on a plate.
It's also inspired by two favourite recipes, the Rustic Tarts from Kim Boyce's excellent Good to the Grain, and the Appleberry Pie from Vegan Pie in the Sky - with a few modifications. Here's how we do:
For the Buckwheat Crust:
1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 cup of plain flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of Trex vegetable shortening
6-8 tablespoons of cold water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For all the hand-wringing about homemade pastry, I really don't think it's all that difficult, though it's possible I have lower standards than most. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, 'cut in' the shortening with your fingers, working quickly, until it looks like breadcrumbs, as below:
Then add the vinegar and water, (start with 4 tablespoons of water maybe, then one tablespoon at a time), until it forms a ball of pastry. Then wrap it up and rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Kim Boyce recommends folding it a few times after this time, then resting again. It's not the end of the world if you skip this step - I often do. It's also worth noting that she uses rye, and I find this is a good template for any whole grain flour.
When you're ready, roll it out imprecisely. You could go a bit thinner than I have here, as you want it to fill the pie plate and fold over the filling.
The Filling:
About 4 cups of peeled cooking Apple chunks. I like Bramleys, and this is about 2 good sized apples.
About 1 cup of blackberries, I used my foraged stash. Frozen is fine and dandy.
About 1 cup of blueberries. I happened to need to use these up - you can use more blackberries to be more seasonally appropriate.
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of water
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
A grating of nutmeg
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
It's basic, and I've made very few modifications, but that's how I like it. It's not overly sweet, and has a satisfying messiness. So you fold the crust over loosely for a rustic galette kind-of feel, and then brush this little mixture over the exposed crust:
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk. I use oat.
Bake at 180C (350F) for 50-60 minutes. My oven is on the fast side.
Let it cool, then you've got some rustic, autumnal goodness to share with the world. Not too shabby.
This is absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
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