All Things Apple, Part III

With all the choices we were confronted with when making the Spiced Apple Pie last week we decided to also make an Apple-Raspberry Pie. The raspberries have been amazing latterly and raspberries are one of my boys favourite treats - I just wish they were as cheap here as they used to be in the USA! In Australia raspberries have become a special treat versus an everyday snack that the boys became accustomed to in the USA. This recipe for Apple-Raspberry Pie came from Martha Stewart and once again she didn't disappoint.

The ingredients:
1250g assorted baking apples, (we used Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and sliced
170g fresh or partially thawed frozen raspberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plain flour, plus more for work surface
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

The recipe:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Stir apples, raspberries, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. (I actually forgot the flour which made the filling have more juices and more runny but still delicious. It did mean it was possible for me to serve some of the filling to my gluten-free-mother baked in a ramekin sans pie crust which mum loved).

Fill your pie crust with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Cover with you remaining pie dough either as a slab or as a lattice (we created a lattice effect this time for something different).

Refrigerate for 20 minutes (we skipped this step as we had guests arriving and were running out if time).

Whisk egg yolk and cream in a bowl; brush over top crust. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Place foil on rack below to catch juices. Tent pie with foil if browning too quickly. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 4 hours (up to overnight).

We served it immediately with ice cream. For my mum's gluten-free version I also added some caramel sauce I had left over from making the Mini Apple Charlottes. Since mum has to miss out on the delicious pastry I felt a little caramel sauce would help compensate.

The result:
Amazing and sweet. A little runny due to the forgotten flour so the pie didn't really hold its shape when cut and served. The raspberries complimented the apples beautifully, adding a delicate berry flavour.

I think I enjoyed this pie more than the Spiced Apple Pie, and my Mum said she preferred this gluten-free version to the gluten-free Mini Apple Charlotte I made for her last week. I thought my husband would have preferred the Spiced Apple Pie but even he says the raspberries added an amazing flavour and this was his favourite pie. He just wants to make it with a full pastry top rather than the lattice. I agree that more of the delicious crunchy pie crust will never disappoint!

I was once again surprised by how quick and easy this pie was. The filling took only minutes to prepare and since we had the crust in the fridge from the day before it was just a matter of rolling it out and filling it. Apple pie is my new favourite dessert to make when having guests. We shared this pie with my aunt and cousins for afternoon tea on Friday and then with my parents for morning tea on Saturday. Everyone loved it. It was a sure winner!

How do you feel about adding berries or other fruits to an apple pie? Do you prefer a more traditional pie with only apple and some spices?