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.
