On a winter’s day, nothing beats the aroma and flavour of a homemade apple pie, warm from the oven!
TASTE OF WINTER FACT
Apple pie tends to be thought of as an American dish, supported by the popular phrase ‘as American as apple pie’ and references to it in books from as early as 1697. But it was actually created in England, with the first written apple pie recipe dating back to 1381. To welcome winter this year, we have created a delicious apple pie recipe perfect for an indulgent morning or afternoon tea or a hearty dessert topped with a generous dollop of vanilla bean ice cream or whipped Chantilly cream.
INGREDIENTS
- 250gm Plain Flour – sieve.
- 60gm Caster Sugar
- 1 Lemon – finely zest.
- 125gm Unsalted Butter – cut into 2cm dice and warm to room temperature.
- 1 Egg – crack, separate and use the yolk only.
- 40ml Apple Juice
- 1.5kg Granny Smith Apples – remove stem, peel, remove core and cut flesh into 1cm dice.
- 35ml Lemon Juice
- 150ml Water
- 90gm Unsalted Butter – cut into 1cm dice and warm to room temperature.
- 255gm Soft Brown Sugar
- ¼ tsp Mixed Spice
- As required – Olive Oil Spray
- As required – Plain Flour for dusting
- 1 Egg – crack and lightly beat.
- 10gm Caster Sugar
METHOD
- Pre-heat an oven to a moderate temperature – 160°C.
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, 60gm of caster sugar, lemon zest and 125gm of butter. Using a balloon whisk, mix until the ingredients have combined and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and apple juice and mix until the ingredients form a dough. Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap in cling wrap and place in a refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow it to firm.
- Over a low heat, in a saucepan, add the apples, lemon juice, water, 90gm of butter, soft brown sugar and mixed spice. Cook stirring regularly for 10 minutes, or until the apple is soft and the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
- Lightly spray oil the moulds of a 12 cup muffin tray.
- On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 2mm thickness. Using both a 7cm and a 9cm diameter round cutter, cut out 12 x 9cm diameter and 12 x 7cm diameter rounds of pastry.
- Place 1 x 9cm diameter round of pastry into each mould, making sure it lines the base and side of each mould and is gently pushed into all the corners. Evenly distribute the apple mixture between the 12 moulds.
- Lightly brush the top edges of the pastry base with the beaten egg. Top each pie with a 7cm diameter pastry round, gently pressing down so that the pastry base and lid are stuck together by the egg.
- Evenly brush the top of each pastry lid with the remaining beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with caster sugar.
- Place the pies into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and is a light golden brown colour, then remove the tray from the oven.
- Allow the pies to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the pies from the muffin tray. Place onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool for a further 5 minutes.
TO SERVE
Serve the apple pies as required, either still warm from the oven or at room temperature.
