Bilberry and Cowberry Pie is a modern British recipe for a classic pie of mixed bilberries and cowberries (lingonberries) in a shortcrust shell with an egg and ground almond topping. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Bilberry and Cowberry Pie.
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For this pie, the exact ratio of bilberries to cowberries is up to you, depending on how many you can gather. But I would suggest at least 300g of the total 500g needs to be bilberries
Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
225g plain flour
25g cornflour (cornstarch)
2tsp caster sugar
110g butter
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cold water
For the Filling:
mix of bilberries and cowberries, making 500g in all
2 tbsp brown sugar
For the Topping:
50g icing sugar
2 eggs
90g ground almonds
a few drops of vanilla extract
Method:
Begin with the pastry. Sift together the flours into a bowl. Stir in the sugar then dice the butter, add to the flour mix and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the egg yolk and the water and mix with a pastry knife until the ingredients come together. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
After this time, turn the pastry out onto a floured work surface and roll out until large enough to cover the base and sides of a 22cm diameter flan dish. Line the dish with the pastry then fill with baking parchment and baking beans. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry is firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.
In a bowl, mix together the fruit and sugar. Turn into the cooled pastry then set aside as you prepare the topping. In a bowl, combine the icing sugar, eggs, ground almonds and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric whisk until frothy then spoon this mixture over the top of the pie.
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and dust with icing sugar. Serve warm.
