CRISS-CROSS LATTICE PLUM AND BLACKBERRY PIE

THIS eye-catching lattice pie has almond pastry strips revealing colourful fruit underneath.

Serves: 6

Kit you’ll need

24cm (9in) round metal pie dish with sloping sides, 3cm (1¼in) deep

Baking sheet

For the filling 650g (1lb 6oz) plums 85g (3oz) golden caster sugar 3 star anise 1 tsp plain flour 200g (7oz) blackberries 50g (1¾oz) marzipan, coarsely grated (chilled first it is easier to grate)

For the rich almond pastry 225g (8oz) plain flour 25g (1oz) ground almonds 130g (4½oz) chilled butter, diced 2 tsp icing sugar 1 medium egg yolk ¼ tsp almond extract Milk to glaze Golden caster sugar, for sprinkling

1 Prepare the filling. Halve, stone and quarter the plums then put them in a large frying pan with the sugar and cook, uncovered, over a low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until starting to soften. At first, stir only to mix in the sugar, which will start to dissolve once the plum juices are released. When that happens, tuck in the star anise. Keep the heat low so the sugar doesn’t burn and don’t stir the plums too often to begin with, or they will start to break down too quickly and you want them to keep some of their shape. As they cook, the mixture will become thickened and jammy. Cooking time will vary depending on the plum variety. So just keep checking when the fruit is tender and the juices sticky, and remove the pan from the heat once they are. Sprinkle in the flour and gently stir to thicken the juices. Tip in the blackberries, stir, then leave the fruit to cool.

2 Make the pastry while the fruit is cooking. Tip the plain flour, ground almonds, butter and icing sugar into a large bowl and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Drop in the egg yolk, almond extract and 1-2 tablespoons cold water (enough to bring the dough together). Stir with a roundbladed knife until the mixture starts to stick together and form a dough. Tip the pastry onto the work surface and with your hands, gently form it into a smooth ball. (Or make the pastry in a food-processor.) Shape the dough into a thick disc, wrap it in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, until firm but not hard.

3 Cut off one-third of the pastry, wrap it in clingfilm and put it to one side. Roll out the larger piece of pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line the pie dish, gently pressing the pastry into the corners. Trim the pastry edges with a sharp knife. Lightly prick the base of the pastry with a fork, then scatter the grated marzipan over it and chill, along with the one-third of pastry, in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, just until the fruit has cooked. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/ 400f/gas 6 and place a baking sheet inside to heat up.

4 Once the pastry is chilled, spoon the cooled fruit filling over the marzipan and discard the star anise. You’re now ready to top your pie.

5 Roll out the reserved piece of pastry to a rectangle about 25cm long and 15cm wide (10in x 6in). Cut out 5 strips that are 2cm wide and 25cm long (10in x ¾in) and 5 strips that are 1cm wide and 25cm long (10in x ½in). Brush the edges of the pastry case with water and lay the strips over in a haphazard criss-cross fashion, letting some go under and some over each other, to form a decorative lid for your pie. Trim as necessary. Press the edges of each strip into the edge of the pastry rim to secure, then pinch the edges to decorate. Brush the pastry strips and the pie edges with milk.

6 Place the pie dish on the hot baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp. Check after 20 minutes and if the pastry is browning too quickly, cover the pie loosely with foil and bake for about another 5 minutes to make sure the base is cooked through. Leave for 20-30 minutes before serving warm, so all the juicy sauce inside can settle. Sprinkle generously with caster sugar just beforehand.