Summer fruits have been abundant this year and I have made this pie using the wonderful peaches and apples from Rod and Boris, farmers from Orange, who sell their fruit direct to the public at Parklea Markets. It is a lovely blend, marrying the tartness of the apples with the sweet peaches and spices.

Peach and Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• 230g plain flour
• 30g cornflour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 125g caster sugar
• 140g butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pie:

• 3 Granny Smith apples
• 600 g peaches, stones removed and cut into eighths
• 140g brown sugar
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground cloves
• Extra 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Icing sugar, to dust (optional)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Line base of a 22cm round springform cake tin with baking paper.
• Grease sides with butter.
• Peel and core the apples and then slice them.
• Remove the stones from the blood plums and then cut into eighths.
• In a large bowl gently toss the apples, plums, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, the cinnamon and ground cloves with a wooden spoon.
• Place the mixture into a large wide saucepan over a medium heat.
• Cook for 25 minutes or until fruit is tender. As the peaches will release moisture, separate the juice using a seive and set the fruit aside
• Cool the mixture.
• Sift flour, cornflour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp cinnamon  and then pour into into the food processor bowl.
• Add caster sugar and butter to the bowl and process until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Add beaten egg and process until a dough forms. (these steps can also be done by hand)
• Reserve 1/3 of the dough.
• Press the rest of the dough into the prepared springform tin, lining  base and  pressing it with your hands approx 2 cm up side.
• Spread the cooled fruit mixture over dough base, smoothing it out evenly.
• Take small pieces of the reserved dough about the size of a hazelnut scattering them over the top of the fruit and leaving a gap in the middle.
• Sprinkle the extra brown sugar over the pie.
• Bake for 10 minutes then lower the heat to 170º 30-40 minutes or until light golden.
• Allow the pie to cool before you remove the cake tin.
• Dust the pie with icing sugar and serve with a little double cream or ice-cream.