Lammas Apple & Peach Pie with Custard

This is a delicious apple and peach pie, you can also remove the peaches and replace with more apples and other fruit if you wish. This pie is delicious on Lammas made from local, in season Australian produce and is best served with a dollop of ice-cream and custard.

Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry (store bought or create your own)
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup of plain flour, sifted
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 fresh peaches, sliced (2 cups)
2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (2 cups), typically green cooking apples are used but I use what ever is available.
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1 tbs butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease your pie tin with butter (I use a paper towel) Place your pastry into your pie tin and press firmly against the bottom and side. Trim your pastry leaving about an inch of excess.
2. In a large bowl, mix together your sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in your apples and peaches. Transfer onto your pastry ensuring your mixture sits slightly under the edge of the tin. Sprinkle with almonds and little pieces of butter.
3. To make the lattice top, cut your pastry into several strips and place them across the top of the filling. Take several more strips of pastry and weave them by folding the original strips over the top. Once complete trip the excess strips only from the edges of your pie.
4. You can now fold the excess pastry from around the pie tin over the edges of the weave to create a nice thick outer edge. Take some foil and fold several times into strips. Place the strips around the outer edge of the pie. This helps to stop the outer edge getting to brown while cooking.
5. Bake for 35 minutes and then remove the foil. Bake for a further 10-15minutes until the inside is bubbling and the crust is brown.
6. Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack.

Vanilla Custard

Remember when making custard to keep a very close eye on it at all times.

Ingredients

1 cup full cream milk
1 cup thickened cream
1tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
4 egg yolks
1 tbs cornflour
1/3 cup caster sugar

1. In a small saucepan combine the milk, cream and vanilla extract. Place over medium heat. Cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil or your custard will curdle). Remove from the saucepan from the heat.
2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks , cornflour and sugar until well combined. While whisking constantly pour the warm milk mixture over the egg mixture.
3. Return the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over low heat stirring constantly. After 15-20 minutes the custard should thicken and will coat the back of a metal spoon when dipped. Do not allow your custard to boil.
4. Custard can be served warm or cold.

Serve your pie hot from the oven with a dollop of cream and custard.