A golden pastry lid over juicy pears and blackberries, using fresh autumn fruit or a frozen harvest.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 25 minutes | Cooking: 45 minutes | Total: 110 minutes
Times include the chilling, soaking or resting stated in the method. Cooking times are a guide: check tenderness and doneness before serving.
Ingredients
180 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
90 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
20 g caster sugar for pastry
35–45 ml cold water
500 g pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks, prepared weight
200 g blackberries, fresh or frozen
60 g caster sugar for filling
20 g cornflour
15 ml lemon juice
½ tsp ground ginger
15 ml milk for glazing
Method
Rub the butter into the flour, stir in pastry sugar and add enough cold water to make a dough. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan. Mix pears, blackberries, filling sugar, cornflour, lemon and ginger in a 20 cm pie dish about 5 cm deep.
Roll pastry a little larger than the dish. Cut a strip for the rim, dampen the rim and press on the strip. Dampen the strip, lay over the lid and seal.
Trim and crimp, cut a steam slit and brush with milk. Put the dish on a baking tray to catch drips.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until golden and bubbling through the slit; frozen berries may need an extra 5–10 minutes. Check the pear is tender with a skewer.
Rest for 10 minutes, then serve four portions. Total includes chilling and resting.
Variations and substitutions
Apples can replace pears; use firm fruit so it does not turn to purée. Frozen raspberries can replace blackberries. Add ½ tsp cinnamon instead of ginger. Dairy-free pastry block and plant milk also work.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Firm stored pears are useful here; very hard pears should be simmered with a splash of water for 5 minutes first and drained. Add frozen blackberries straight to the filling.
Storage and freezing
Cool promptly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below; eat within 48 hours. Freeze without cream, yoghurt or custard in labelled portions for up to 3 months for best quality. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat only once until piping hot throughout if serving warm. Pastry will soften after chilling or freezing; reheat in the oven to improve the texture.
Find more ideas in the complete recipe menu. Explore our growing guide finder and From Garden to Kitchen guide, or plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating ingredients or a serving idea. These recipes are practical ideas to try; they are not presented as all having been tested in my kitchen.
