Aw yeah, a title that rhymes!

This summer has definitely been the season of the berry and thyme for me. Lawless Blueberry Thyme Sangria, Peace Offering Mini Berry Galettes, I’ve been shoving these recipes down your throat for months on end now. With summer coming to and en, you can expect that this will be the last of these recipes that I’ll be publishing on here for a while but fear not – the great squash recipe onslaught will begin soon.

This recipe is reminiscent of one of the rare high points that I’ve had in 2020 but oddly enough, none of the words that I’ve tried to put to paper (or to screen as I type?) can adequately describe just how much it meant to me. Through the constant barrage of tragedies, it was one night when I could completely let go with my friends and not let the troubles of the world plague my thoughts. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to see my screen through the tears in my eyes so I’ll spare you my emotional thinkpiece for the day and allow the photos to speak for themselves.

I will, however, regale you with all the minor details, as always. Homemade puff pastry. No excuses. You can do it. Fresh blackberries would be marginally better as frozen blackberries would yield too soggy of a crust but if you’re really in a pinch then you can try get around it by upping the cornstarch in the recipe. It doesn’t have to be a blackberry pie, it could be blueberry, it could be raspberry, it could be gooseberry – you can have your pie AND eat it too. Don’t like thyme? First of all – you’re missing out. Secondly, feel free to omit it. Pouring the cream over the crust in the last 10 minutes is a MUST, that was an absolute game changer tip that I picked up whilst perusing les cooking blogs and it really does take this recipe to the next level. Ice-cream is mandatory, you would be a fool not to and a psychopath to use any flavour but vanilla. Minutiaes recounted, let’s make this pie!

Summertime Blackberry Peach Thyme Pie
Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 250g unsalted butter at room temp (2 sticks for my American friends)
• 6 tbsp ice water (you might not use it all)
  For the pie:
• 4-5 large peaches, sliced
• 2 punnets of blackberries, washed and dried
• Juice and zest from 2 lemons
• a handful of sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup brandy (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup fresh cream or half and half

Method:

1. We’re making the pastry! Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl until fairly incorporated, but you should still be able to see bits of butter. Add the ice water, tablespoon by tablespoon, until the dough starts to come together and can be rolled into a large bowl. Be wary that you might not need to use all of the ice water but if you find that it’s not enough then don’t be afraid to use a little bit more. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
   Turn the dough onto a large work space and roll out into a large rectangle, about 12inx16in (roughly 30cmx40cm). Fold the top third of the pastry along the longer edge over the middle third, and fold the bottom third over the middle third- like you’re folding a letter. Rotate the pastry fold 90 degrees (clockwise or anti-clockwise, it’s your choice!) and roll the pastry into a large rectangle once again. Fold the top third over the middle, do the same with the bottom third and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.
2. Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Throw the sliced peaches, blackberries, lemon juice and zest, thyme, sugar together in a large bowl. Use a large wooden spoon (and all your arm strength) to really mix everything together and ensure that the peaches and blueberries are covered in lemon juice and sugar. Let sit for 15 minutes before throwing in the cornstarch and brandy and tossing together until everything is nice and coated. It’ll be a big gooey mess but trust me, this is part of the process.
3. Grease a pie dish with butter. Remember the pastry that (I hope) you made? Roll it out once again into a large rectangle until its about ¼ inch thick, (half a centimetre). Lay the pie dish in the middle of the pastry and use a sharp knife to cut out a large circle, using the pie dish as a guide. You’re aiming to have enough pastry to cover the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Transfer the pastry circle to the pie dish and fill with the peach blackberry mixture. Use the remaining pastry to cut out some fun shapes for the top of your pie!
   Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 160C/325F. At this moment, you’ll pour the cream over the top of the pie and bake it for another 25 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving (with heaps of vanilla ice-cream of course!). Enjoy!