Elderberry and almond pie

• elderberries↗20 sprigs of sprigs
• golden sugar↗200g g

  or less, depending on your taste

• plain flour↗

  for dusting

• butter↗

  for greasing

• shortcrust pastry↗250g g

  defrosted if frozen

• ground almonds↗200g g
• crème fraîche↗

  yogurt or ice cream for serving

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the syrup by first washing the berries thoroughly and removing them from the stems. Transfer them to a saucepan with 2 tbsp water and half the sugar. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes and add more sugar if desired. After 10–15 minutes the syrup will thicken; then let it cool and strain through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Set aside.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C/160 °C with fan/gas 4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut two circles — one large enough to line the base of a 20 cm pie tin, the other for the lid. Grease the tin with butter and line the base with the larger dough circle. Sprinkle with ground almonds, then pour the elderberry syrup over. Moisten the dough edges with water, cover with the lid, press or tie the edges together and make a hole in the top. Moisten the top with water and sprinkle the remaining sugar. Bake for 40–45 minutes until the crust is crisp and golden. Cool slightly, then serve warm, sliced into portions, with crème fraîche, yogurt or ice cream.