Tasty Tuesdays - Apple Pie

Apple Pie. Is there anything more homely? It may be passed the time of year for picking up pecked and bruised fruits from the lawn, but the cold weather – and the continued necessity to stay home – might just inspire some of you to baking. That or you’re in need of some comforting home cooking. Either way, the recipe I rely on for a delicious apple pie is always the same.

Lifted from Love Food’s ‘Grandma’s Best Recipes’, a book which has become something of a bible in my culinary repertoire, the pages of this recipe are somewhat flour-smudged and moisture-warped from frequent use, a feature which acts as a bookmark for my favourite dishes.

I always start by weighing how much apple I plan to use as a guide for how much pastry to make because, while the recipe is for 6 people, I often make it smaller. On average, I pick 2-3 medium apples with a combined weight of 650-750g (roughly 1lb 5oz) which, when peeled and cored leaves enough for a well-filled four-person pie. From there it’s just a simple bit of maths to work out how much flour and butter is required. As a rule, I tend to use 6-8 oz/170-225g of flour and 3-4oz/85-113g of butter (you can use lard in place of half of the butter – as per the recipe – but as it’s not a common ingredient in my kitchen, it’s butter all the way!) I also like to add a teaspoon of either cinnamon or mixed spice with the pinch of salt before getting my hands messy turning it into breadcrumbs. Then all it takes is 3 tbsp of water to make a firm dough which you pop in the fridge for half hour (make sure you remove the pastry 10 minutes before you prepare the filling so it’s easier to roll out).

Prepping the filling is, for me, the fun part, as I get to be creative with the apples. I always opt for cutting them into small chunks of varying shapes to give the pie texture; of course, if you prefer a smoother filling then slices will do just fine. As you prepare each apple, make sure to squeeze some lemon juice over the finished slices/chunks to stop them browning (or, as the recipe’s additional note states, ‘place the apple slices in a bowl of water to which has been added the juice of 1 lemon’). Once all the apples are ready, mix with the sugar (roughly 75g or 2 ½ oz) and spice, load into your prepared pie case and stick the lid on. You can employ as much or as little artistic licence as you like with any leftover pastry to decorate the top. Make leaves, flowers, apples (or fish if you want to confuse your housemates/family) and add a sprinkle of light brown or demerara sugar over the egg glaze – just don’t forget the slit in the top!

As to cooking times, the recipe states a total of 50 minutes but as my pie is often smaller, I reduce that 40 minutes and, provided I haven’t been too carefree with the size of my apple chunks, I should be able to serve a perfectly golden pie within the hour. For a contrast of temperatures, I like to serve the still-hot pie with vanilla ice cream and, for next day leftovers, a generous dollop of warm custard.

 

APPLE PIE (serves 6)

for the pastry

350g/12 oz plain flour

pinch of sat

85g/3 oz butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

85g/3 oz lard or white vegetable far, cut into small pieces

about 6 tbsp cold water

beaten egg or milk, for glazing

 

for the filling

750g-1kg/1lb 10 oz – 2lb 4 oz cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

125g/4 ½ oz caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

½ - 1 tsp ground cinnamon, mixed spice or ground ginger

1-2 tbsp water (optional)

 

1.       To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and lard and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and gather the mixture together into a dough. Wrap the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2.       Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Roll out almost two-thirds of the pastry thinly and use to line a deep 23-cm/9-inch pie plate or pie tin.

3.       Mix the apples with the sugar and spice and pack into the pastry case; the filling can come up over the rim. Add the water if needed, particularly if the apples are not very juicy.

4.       Roll out the remaining pastry to form a lid. Dampen the edges of the pie rim with water and position the lid, pressing the edges firmly together. Trim and crimp the edges.

5.       Use the trimmings to cut out leaves or other shapes to decorate the top of the pie, dampen and attach. Glaze the top of the pie with the beaten egg or milk, make 1-2 slits in the top and place the pie on a baking sheet.

6.       Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the pastry is a light golden brown. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with sugar.