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1
Making the pastry:
2
By far the best way to make this sweet pastry is to use a food processor. It’s very quick and easy, but more importantly, it keeps all the ingredients cold, which is essential when making shortcrust pastry.
3
Add the flour, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and salt to your food processor, pulse the machine until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency, this should take about 40 seconds.
4
While the processor is running, drizzle in the beaten egg until it all comes together, once again this should only take about 40 seconds.
5
Divide your pastry into 2 pieces, 250g for the base of the pie, and the rest for the lid of the pie, flatten each piece into a circle, wrap them in cling film, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6
Making the filling:
7
Wash, peel, core and cut the apples into 12mm / ½inch pieces and coat them in lemon juice. (see the video for the apple varieties I use in the video)
8
Sprinkle the sugar into a hot frying pan or wok, and allow the sugar to melt.
9
Once melted and golden brown, carefully add the apples to the pan, toss and stir fry them for 2 minutes.
10
Add the spices and continue tossing and stir frying the apples.
11
Once the apples are coated with spices, add the butter and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
12
Carefully get the cooked apple filling into a bowl, cover with cling film, allow to cool.
13
Assembling the pie:
14
For this recipe you’ll need a greased 20cm / 8in pie tin, see the video for the tin I use in this recipe.
15
Roll out the base pastry to a 25cm / 10inch circle.
16
Once rolled out, roll it onto you rolling pin.
17
Unroll the pastry onto the greased pie tin leaving plenty hanging over the edge of the tin.
18
Carefully tuck the pastry down into the corners of the tin with your fingers.
19
Using a spare piece of pastry, gently press it down into the corners of the tin where the side meets the base.
20
Using a fork, prick lots of holes in the pastry base, (see the video) this is called docking the pastry.
21
Add the apple filling and level it off with a spatula.
22
At this point, preheat your oven to 160°C / 320°F / Gas mark 3.
23
Roll out the other piece of pastry, 3mm thick once more, roll it up onto the rolling pin once more.
24
Brush some egg-wash all around the lip of the pastry base.
25
Line up and unroll the pastry lid over top of the pie base.
26
Gently press down the edges with the palm of your hands.
27
Using your forefingers and thumbs, crimp all around the edge of the pie, (see the video for this technique).
28
Trim off the excess pastry, and re-crimp to tidy it all up.
29
Cut 2 or 3 vent holes in the middle of the pie lid.
30
Brush the whole top surface with the egg-wash.
31
Sprinkle sugar over the top of the pie.
32
Get the pie into the preheated oven, bake for 45 minutes.
33
Once done, remove it from the oven, allow it rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
34
Get it out of the pie tin, slice and serve hot with vanilla ice cream.
35
Enjoy.
Method
Ingredients
Pastry:
230g / 8oz Plain or All-purpose flour
45g / 1½oz Icing or Powdered sugar
100g / 3½oz Cold Butter
1 Large Egg (beaten)
2g / pinch of Salt
Zest of an Orange (optional)
Filling:
650g / 23oz Apples (I use Gala)
30g / 1oz Sugar
15g / ½oz Butter
1g / ½tsp Ground Cinnamon
Freshly grated Nutmeg
Juice of one small Lemon
I small Egg and a dash of milk whisked vigorously (For egg-wash)
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Pie & Sandwich cake, non-stick baking tin. 18 x 2.5cm / 7 x 1in
Adjustable Stainless Steel Rolling Pin
Skeleton style Oven Gloves. Rated for up to and not beyond 260°C / 500°F.
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