Blackberry pie

To make the blackberry pie, start by pouring the blackberries into a bowl, and add the brown sugar 1 and the grated zest of half a lemon 2. Stir with a spoon 3, cover with plastic wrap, and leave the blackberries to steep at room temperature for at least 4 hours (or overnight, if you prefer).

Now prepare the pie crust: Place the sifted flour, a pinch of salt, and the cold butter, cut into small pieces 4, in a food processor and blitz briefly to get a sand-like consistency 5. Transfer your pastry mixture to a work surface (or even a bowl) and add the sifted powdered sugar and the grated zest of half a lemon 6.

Create a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the two egg yolks 7. Next, start mixing everything together, first with a fork, then, once the eggs have absorbed the dry ingredients, continue by hand 8. Knead briefly for just long enough to blend the dough so that the pastry doesn’t get too hot with the heat of your hands and remains crumbly. Shape the pastry into a rectangle, flatten it and wrap it in plastic wrap 9, then place it in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes.

Once the blackberries have steeped for the required period of time, drain them using a strainer, collecting the liquid in the bowl 10. Take the pastry and remove two-thirds of it, returning the rest of it to the fridge, again wrapped in plastic wrap. Dust the work surface with a small amount of flour and roll out the pastry with a rolling pin 11 to form a disc around ¼” (½ cm) thick. Next, roll the pastry around the rolling pin and unroll it onto a 7” (18 cm) scalloped-edged cake pan (you can use a normal pie mold since you won’t need to grease it anyway) 12.

Gently press the bottom and edges of the dough into the mold 13 and cut away any excess dough by running the rolling pin over the edge of the pan 14. Prick the bottom of the pie with the prongs of a fork 15.

Fill the pie base with the drained blackberries and distribute evenly 16. Now take the remaining pastry and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper 17, then remove one of the sheets and use the other to transfer the pastry onto the filling 18 to cover it completely.

Seal tightly at the edges and remove the excess pastry 19. Prick the surface with the prongs of a fork 20. Bake the pie on the bottom rack of a conventional oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 35 minutes. After this time, place the pie on the middle rack and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the surface. Once cooked, leave the pie to cool completely before serving 21.