Apple & Blackberry Messy Pie

I really quite worried that I'm growing up. 

At the weekend I actually got excited about the fruit growing in our garden, how I can feast on blackberries and apples and all the new recipes (and old favourites) that I can make.

It's called a messy pie because I wasn't in the mood to make something that was done so precisely and looked so prim, I wanted something simple, easy and rustic.

Short crust pastry recipe:

6oz plain flour

3oz butter

8 tsp water

Fruit (a reasonable amount)

1 cup of Caster sugar

1 beaten egg

Butter (both melted and solid)

I used my shortcrust pastry recipe, it's the one I always use, the one my mum calls "delicious, it's better than mine!"

Usually I mix it in a bowl with room temp butter rubbed into flour, then add the water slowly, I don't know if that's the normal way or not. 

This time I bunged it all in my blender and mixed it together, adding the water a bit at a time. Then I just rolled it out like this.

Simples.

We have so many blackberries growing at the moment, I didn't even make a dent in these!

Choose whichever fruit you'd like, frozen fruit will work really well too, but I went with the classic blackberry and apple, helpful, seeing as that's what was in the garden.
Peel and chop your fruit, if needed, then pile it high, sprinkling some of the sugar as you go, but not all of it!

Use your bake-o-glide to mold the pastry around the pile, you could be neat and sort of concertina it up, but I was going for rustic.

Once all the pastry is folded around and you've patched up any ugly bits, brush it with the egg to glue it all down, then brush with the melted butter to make it turn nice and golden.

Finally, before you pop it in the oven, sprinkle the rest of your sugar on top and give the tray a couple of bangs on the table so it all sinks down, add a few little lumps of butter on top of the fruit and then put it in the oven at 200 celcius for about 30-40 mins, or until it looks ready and it's oozy and delicious.

We cut it into big ol' hunks, there were four of us and we didn't finish it, but this would easily serve seven!

Serve with lashings of cream, or even better, some delicious vanilla ice cream..

Tiddly Banoffee Pies

The other night J and I had a date night, just a trip to the cinema to see "The Big Wedding", which was pretty good, but seeing as he's in the middle of exams right now we can't see each other as often as we'd normally/like to.
Anyway, one of his favourite puddings is Banoffee Pie. It would be risky for the inside of my bag if I had tried to sneak a whole pie into the cinema so I made a small batch of my trusty short crust pastry that made just over 7 pie crusts that I laid over cupcake tins.

3 oz plain flour
1.5 oz butter
About 4 tsps. water

1 can of boiled condensed milk (or dulche de leche)
1 banana
Whipped cream (optional)
Grated chocolate

After making your pastry roll it out and use a cutter to cut out circles that cover the cupcake tin holes like you would if you were making mince pies.
With the point of a sharp knife gently prick the pastry so that it doesn't rise and pop in the oven (200 celcius) for about 15 mins.

You can use a can of condensed milk that you've boiled yourself (keep the tin sealed) or you can use a precooked one like the one below!

 




















Grab a teaspoon and dollop the caramel in the cases, depending on how caramelly you like it (J likes caramel so I went overboard slightly).

Mmm don't they look good??

Then eat the rest of the tin with a spoon by yourself whilst watching a movie. I won't judge you.

 

 Slice up your banana and plonk/arrange artistically on top.

You could go for several half slices, for more bananary tastiness but I was in a rush.

 

Add a good amount of whipped cream if you have some and sprinkle with chocolate (or chocolate powder in my case).

I don't think they are exactly the same as a normal banoffee pie base, because that's with golden syrup, butter and biscuits, but they're really easy for you to eat, and perfect for cinema sneakin'.
I did actually catch J fit one whole into his mouth so they went down a treat!

 

Alternatively you could leave the banana out and eat them as a caramel jam tart!