Fruit pie

Pies = a little bit of heaven


And at this time of the year, can cost next to nothing. With blackberries to pick and apples in season to scrumpy (or ask nicely for from a friendly neighbour)
Here’s a recipe for you to play with what ever fruit is in session… blackberry and apple like me, or apple, raisins and cinnamon or rhubarb and lemon…. The list goes on..

Ingredients

6oz short crust pastry (make your own for economy, or cheat like me and get it out of the freezer)
1 and half lb of fresh fruit
4 oz sugar

method

place the fruit in a pie dish with sugar spread on each layer, finish with a layer of fruit piled high in the middle, add a little water, cover with pastry.
Bake just above centre in a hot oven (425o-450oF) gas mark 6-7 for 15 mins, then lower the temp a little for about 20mins until the fruit is cooked. Dredge with sugar and serve hot or cold… with custard, with icecream, with cream, with a cup of tea, the choose is yours.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn. www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Blackberry jam

Everyone seems to have enjoyed the sunshine at the weekend, and been out picking blackberries, so I’ve been frustrated by significantly fewer around… still have one or two more secret spots to try.. got to get a stock in the freezer for winter crumbles…

Here’s a recipe I followed earlier this week for the cost of the sugar and lemon, a significant amount of delicious jam….

2 lb blackberries
2 lb sugar
juice of 1 lemon

method

warm the sugar for 1-2 mins, add the blackberries. Once liquid is forming, turn the heat up, and bring to the boil. Gently stir in the lemon juice. Skim the froth off. Boil until setting point is reached 105oC /220oF (about 6- 7 mins)
Pour into clean sterilised pots.

Today's illustration © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Blackberry and apple crumble

Last night I made another blackberry and apple crumble, a staple of this time of year. It seems impossible to go out for a walk right now, without coming home laden with blackberries. I’ve just had a neighbour offer me apples from their tree to, so I’m sorted! My crumbles are all different, depending on what ingredients I have at hand, I recommend you do the same… see whats in your store cupboard, what around for free, and then experiment. Here is a basic recipe for you to play with:

Ingredients (filling)
3 large Bramley apples (or whatever you can get hold of for free)
150g caster sugar
pinch of cinnamon
a good punnet of blackberries

topping
50g/2oz butter or marg (butter crumbles are lovely, but marg works just fine)
110g/4oz plain flour (or I like a mix of flour and oats)
55g/2oz caster sugar
seeds such as linseed or flaked almonds (optional)

method
1. preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6
2. peel, core and cut apples into slices of chunks
3. add a splash of water to a pan, the sugar and cinnamon and gently sauté the apples until slightly cooked
4. add the blackberries to the apples and stir gently
5. to make the topping, lightly rub butter or marg into the flour (or flour oat mix) add the sugar an rub into crumbs.
6. spoon the apples and blackberries into a shallow, ovenproof dish, sprinkle over crumb mixture
7. cover with seed or flaked almonds if desired
8. place in the oven for about 20-30 mins or until light golden brown.
9. serve with icecream, or cream or yogurt or custard!

It freezes well, allowing you to take advantage of the glut of fruit.

Today’s illustration ‘blackberries’ © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Hedgerow Jam

Around here there is an unending supply of blackberries at this time of the year, some of the other ingredients in this jam are a bit harder to forage, but I found enough last year to make this recipe, (you can always exchange ingredients if you have more of one and less of another) we’re about to eat the last jar from last years batch! Lovely spooned onto hot Porrage….

This fantastic virtually ‘free food’ recipe is from the ‘Women’s Institute, Jams, Pickles & Chutneys’ by Midge Thomas

225g (8oz) rose hips
225g (8oz) haws
225g (8oz) rowan berries
225g (8oz) sloes
450g (1lb) crab apples
450g (1lb) blackberries
450g (1lb) elderberries
115g (4oz) hazelnuts, chopped
900 g (2lb) sugar, plus the weight of the fruit pulp

1. wash and clean all the fruit well. Put the rose hips, haws, rowan berries, sloes and crab apples in a large preserving pan and add water to cover. Cook until all the fruit is tender- about 1 hour
2. sieve the fruits and weigh the resulting pulp. Put the pulp back into the washed preserved pan and add the blackberries, elderberries and chopped nuts. Simmer for about 15mins
3. add the 900g (2lb) of sugar plus as much extra sugar as the weight of the pulp. Cook over a low heat to dissolve the sugar and then boil rapidly until the setting point is reached. Remove any scum
4. pour into cooled, sterilised jars, seal and label.

Todays illustration, rosehips and hedgerow jam, pen and ink © Lois Blackburn, please go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more