The sheer alchemy of applying heat to ingredients never ceases to amaze me. Take apples for example. Raw apples are tart and bright and crisp and loud. Cooked apples are soft and slow and quiet. You could secretly eat cooked apples without anyone knowing. Raw apples are too shouty for that.
But this pie is a little different. The pastry is oh so crisp that it indulges my love of noisy eating. The apples are verging on caramelised. It’s a louder version of the humble apple pie and pretty much apple heaven.
Scott Choucino took these moody apple pie photos. His work is here.
Lots of great recipes like this in my books, Recipes from a Normal Mum, (available on Amazon, at The Works, Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets) and The Power of Frozen (available exclusively in Iceland stores and through their website) which is just £2.99 at the mo! And no, the recipes are not just about frozen food. Every recipe has instructions of how to make with chilled ingredients too.
Last December: Two minute marinade for chicken and Melted snowman biscuits and Egg nog truffles and Chocolate biscuit Christmas pudding and Drunken Amaretto mince pies and Cheese concertina loaf and Hot chocolate on a stick and Sausage, sage and squash lasagne and Chocolate hazelnut granola and Orange and cranberry loaf and Chocolate ganache tart.
Two years ago: My slow cooker beef bourguignon pie and Crumble topped mince pies and a very ugly but delicious cranberry & raspberry traybake
Three years ago: Mini Yorkshire pudding canapes and Christmas pudding fizz and Brandy butter icing and Rudolf morsels
Four years ago: Lime meringue pie with chocolate pastry and Christmas scones and Ginger cake with Christmas cottage and Hot chocolate on a stick
Five years ago: Moonuts and Cheese biscuits and Parsnip soup and Inauthentic chicken tagine
Cinnamon apple pie
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 320g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
- 25g caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 250g salted butter
- 185mls milk
For the filling and top:
- 4 large cooking apples (approx. 500g)
- 70g soft dark brown sugar
- 30g plain flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 egg, beaten
Make the pastry by mixing together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until you have course breadcrumbs about ½ cm in size. Add the milk, stir with a blunt knife and gather the pastry into a flat disc. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4. Peel and de-core the apples, cut into thin slices. Toss in the sugar, flour, cinnamon, zest and lemon juice. Roll the pastry on a floured work surface to about 3mm thick and use to line a 23cm metal pie dish. Trim the edges with a sharp knife/scissors. Add the apples then brush the edges with beaten egg. Roll the pastry as before and lay over the top. Trim the sides and crimp/use a fork to seal the edges. Brush with beaten egg, cut a cross into the centre and bake for 45 – 55 minutes until golden brown.
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Holly Bell 