Appleberry Pie

This pie is just a nice balance between tart and sweet, with a flaky pastry crust, a vegan version of the recipe my mother used when I was a kid. Recipe below.

Flaky Pastry Dough
What:- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or 1 tsp. if both fats are unsalted)
- 1/2 cup cold non-hydrogenated margerine (I use Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco works well)
- 4-6 tbsp. ice water

How: Measure and chill the water, and set aside. In a large bowl, stir flour and sugar together. Add the cold non-hydrogenated margarine cut into table spoons. With a pastry cutter or two perpendicular butter knives held in each hand, cut into smaller pieces. When each piece of margarine is about twice the size of a pea, add the vegetable shortening and continue to do the same. Stop when most pieces are about the size of a pea and coated in flour. If some are a little bigger or a little smaller, that’s okay, but be careful not to make them all too small.

Add water a table spoon at a time, and incorporate into dough by slicing with the side of a rubber spatula. Stop when the dough holds together under pressure but is otherwise loose. If you’re new to pie baking and you’re not sure how wet it’s supposed to be, go for a little too wet rather than a little too dry, because dry dough is hard to work with.

When sufficiently wet, roll into two balls. Press balls down into thick disks and wrap in plastic. Leave in fridge for at least half an hour, plenty of time to make the filling (recipe below).

When time in fridge is finished, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 C) roll out dough one at a time on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Circles should be about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to 9 inch pie plate. (I usually fold into quarters and unfold in pie plate.) Only having to roll dough out once is best, to preserve the shape of the margarine, but it you have to do it twice, it’ll be fine, but try not to overwork the dough.

Spoon the filling into the bottom of the pie dough. Try to evenly distribute it. Then roll out the top of the pie. It should also be around 12 inches in diameter. Fold in half and cut slits for steam to escape (I like to cut out hearts and place them on the pie as you can see above). Transfer to top of pie and unfold. The slits should end up in the center. Fold up extra around the edge and pinch into crust.

Bake on 425 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F (180 C) and slip a cookie sheet under the pie. Cook until fruit seems to have just become soft, which ought to take 30-45 minutes. Slices best after cooling for at least 2 hours.

Appleberry Filling
What:- 1 pound apples (4-5 medium apples)
- 2 1/4 cups frozen or fresh mixed berries (my pie had blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch

How: Slice apples 1/4 inch thick (1/2 cm) and place in large non-metal bowl. Add berries, having rinsed off large ice crystals if frozen, Stir in flour, spices and salt, and add lemon juice. Stir in sugar. Last, add cornstarch and stir until all ingredients seem evenly distributed.