Red Plum & Blackberry Pie

Red Plum & Blackberry Pie 

Serves 6 

Ingredients 

• 1 ½ cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting 
• ¼ cup caster sugar 
• 175g cold unsalted butter, cubed  
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tbsp chilled water 
• 2 tbsp raw sugar 

Filling 

• 500g blood or black plums 
• 250g yellow plums 
• 250g fresh blackberries 
• 3 tsp finely grated lemon zest 
• ½ cup caster sugar 
• 2 tbsp cornflour 

Method 

1. To make pastry, put flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add one of the eggs and the water and process until mixutre begins to form a ball. Add a little extra water if mixture isn’t coming together easily. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until just smooth. Flatten to a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.  

1. Meanwhile, to make the filling, halve plums and twist apart. Cut into quarters and remove stones. Cut larger plum quarters in half again. Put in a large bowl with blackberries and zest. Set aside.  

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Roll pastry out on a floured surface until 5mm thick. Cut out at least 12 x 1.5cm-wide strips of pastry, enough to cover the top of the pie in a lattice pattern. Use a leaf cutter to cut out leaves from remaining pastry.  

1. Add sugar and cornflour to plums in the bowl and stir until the mixture is combined. Spoon into a 4 ½-cup capacity ovenproof dish or pie plate (see tip, below).  

1. Beat remaining egg and brush over rim of pan. Arrange pastry strips in a lattice pattern on top and join edges of pan. Trim edges. Overlap and press leaves around the outer edge. Put any remaining leaves on a greased oven tray. Brush top of pie and leaves on oven tray with egg. Sprinkle with raw sugar.  

1. Bake pie for about 40 minutes, or until golden. Bake tray of leaf biscuits with pie for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Allow pie to cool slightly before serving. Spoon into bowls and serve with cream or ice-cream. Serve with extra leaf biscuits.  

Tips: 

• Use any ovenproof dish or pie plate in ceramic, metal or glass that is at least 4-5cm deep and 4 ½-cup capacity. 
• You can use all blood plums if that is all that’s available. Frozen blackberries can also be used, but there will be more liquid, so add 1 tablespoon extra cornflour.  

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