Ingredients

Filling

• 400g Bramley Apples
• 100-150g Coxon Apples
• 3 tbsp. caster sugar
• 200g Blackberries

Pastry

• 200g plain flour
• 25g ground almonds
• 100g butter
• 50g icing sugar
• Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1 egg yolk (large)
• 45ml (3tbsp) milk

To Serve

• 100g blackberries
• 250ml double cream
• 4 tbsp. icing sugar

Method

1. Filling: Peel the Bramley apples and slice them roughly and peel the coxon's and dice them roughly. Place the apple in a saucepan with 1 tbsp. of water and 3-tbsp. sugar. Place the saucepan over a moderate heat and cook stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes. It is ready when the Bramley apple starts to collapse and the Coxon is soft. Set aside to cool.
2. Pastry: Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the ground almonds. Add the butter cut into pieces and rub in with fingertips. Sift in the icing sugar, add the grated lemon rind and stir to mix. To make in a food processor, put the flour, ground almonds, sifted icing sugar, grated lemon rind and butter in the processor and whiz to crumbs. Turn out into mixing bowl. Combine the egg yolk and milk and mix with a fork. Add to the dry ingredients and using a metal spoon or in mixer with beater, mix until the ingredients are evenly wet. With floured fingers, draw the mixture together to make a rough dough in the bowl. Turn out the pastry onto a lightly floured worktop and knead two or three times so that it is smooth. Allow the pastry to rest before 20 minutes before rolling.
3. To Cook: Preheat an oven to 190°C. Roll out the pastry and line 4 individual buttered 15cm (5inch) flan tins with it. With a round biscuit cutter slightly larger than the containers cut out 4 rounds, with the scraps cut out 8 leaves. Distribute the apple filling among them, leaving room for the blackberries. Place the blackberries on the apple and place the pastry rounds over the top and seal them by crimping around the edges. Make 2 little holes in the centre of the pies and place the leaf cuttings over them (optional). Brush the tops of the pies with a little beaten egg yolk and place them in the oven for around 10-15 minutes. They are ready when the pastry is cooked and golden.
4. To Serve: Remove the pies carefully from the tins and place on 4 plate's drizzle the cream around the plates and place blackberries around the plates. Sprinkle the pie with icing sugar and serve.