Mucky-mouth slab pie
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + freezing
- A little effort
- Serves 12
- 1 eggbeaten
PASTRY
- 400g plain flour
- 4 tsp caster sugar
- 300g unsalted butterchilled and diced, plus extra for the tin
- 280g soft cheese
FILLING
- 300g cooking applespeeled, cored and diced
- 250g frozen blackcurrants
- 250g frozen blueberries
- 85g arrowroot powder
- 150g golden caster sugarplus extra for sprinkling
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- kcal481
- fat27.2g
- saturates17g
- carbs51.9g
- sugars20.1g
- fibre3.1g
- protein5.7g
- salt0.8g
Method
step 1
Put the flour, sugar and 1½ tsp of salt in a food processor. Whizz in the butter until no large lumps remain, then add the soft cheese in small spoonfuls, and pulse until the mixture comes together into a ball of dough.
step 2
Butter the base of a 20cm x 30cm baking tin (use a loose-bottomed tin if you have one) and line with baking paper. Roll 1/2 the dough into a large rectangle at least 30cm x 40cm in size, then drape into the tin to line it. Don’t worry if it rips, just press the dough back together. Put in the fridge to chill.
step 3
Roll out the other 1/2 of dough to a large rectangle about 1/2cm thick, and use a ruler as a template to cut out enough 30cm- and 20cm-long strips to cover the whole pie. Keep re rolling the trimmings to cut more. Draw a template of the tin on baking paper, then lay enough 30cm strips side by side to cover the space. Fold alternating strips back on themselves. Lay a 20cm strip across in the space just below the folds, then fold the halved longer strips back down – the shorter strip should be latticed into the middle. Using each newest strip as your guide, fold alternating long strips back over themselves, giving space to lay a new short strip. When the strips are unfolded the pastry should be neatly latticed together. Work up to each end of the template, until the whole space is latticed. Trim the edges neatly so the pastry top will fit snugly inside the tin. Freeze the lattice top for 20 minutes.
step 4
Toss together all the filling ingredients in a big bowl, then tip into the chilled pie base and use a sharp knife to neatly trim the overhanging pastry so the top is just above the filling. Carefully put the frozen lattice on top.
step 5
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 with a baking sheet in it. Brush the lattice top with egg, sprinkle with sugar and carefully put the pie on top of the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes until the crust is deep brown, with the juices bubbling through it. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin and serving