October Recipe of the Month

Late summer or early autumn is when many apples are at their best, so how about using them in a warming apple pie? 

Ingredients  

600g Bramley cooking apples, cored and sliced 
400g butter or margarine, cut into chunks 
450g plain flour 
150g caster sugar 
1 tbsp ground cinnamon 
2 tbsp cornflour 
1 free range egg, beaten 
Cold water 

1. Make the pastry by mixing the flour, butter (or margarine) sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Stir it with your fingers until it turns into breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water little by little until it forms a dough. Wrap the pastry dough in clingfilm and store in the fridge while you prepare the apple mixture in a separate bowl. 

2. For the filling, peel, core and slice the apples into small chunks of about the same size. Add sugar, cornflour, cinnamon and 3-4 tablespoons of water into a large bowl then stir in the apples until the texture is as smooth or chunky as you wish. 

3. To prepare the baking dish, take two-thirds of the pastry dough, sprinkle some flour on a flat surface then use a rolling pin to flatten the pastry evenly to a couple of millimetres’ thickness. Lift the flattened pastry carefully and transfer it to the baking dish. Press it firmly into the dish and up around the sides so that none of the dish is visible. Trim off, (and keep for later) any excess pastry. 

4. Add the apple filling mix into the pie dish on top of the flat pastry layer. Beat an egg then apply the egg liquid to the rim of the pie dish. Keep back some of the beaten egg for the top of the pie. 

5. Cover the apple mix with the remaining pastry, rolled out first and then applied onto the top of the dish. Press the edges so everything is sealed and cut a few small holes in the centre so that air can escape from the filling while cooking. Brush the remaining beaten egg to the top to form a glaze. 

6. If any pastry remains, cut into small strips to create a criss-cross or other pattern on the top of the pie. Alternatively, score the surface gently with a knife to create your own design. 

7. Finally sprinkle sugar over the pie then bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for about 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. 

8. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or double cream.