A is for Apple Pie

Apple Pie Recipe

Apple pie is one of the worlds most iconic 

desserts it has been around for over 3000 years and still remains delicious.  You might think that apple pie originated in America  it originated in Asia in fact and has only been in America as long as Europeans have.  The first written apple pie recipe goes back to 1381 in England. It was printed by Geoffrey Chaucer and included apples, figs, raisins, pears and a pastry shell (but no sugar). 

Now don’t worry the recipe we’re using has sugar. This is a great recipe to make if you are new to cooking or have a little bit of experience all though if you have lots of experience with cooking and want to give yourself a challenge we recommend going on your browser and look at some more advanced recipe that might suit your needs a little bit better than the recipe shown in this particular article.  

For this recipe the ingredients you will need are:

Filling

1.5kg granny smith apples 

1/2 teaspoon Master-foods Ground Cinnamon

1/4 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon demerara sugar

Double cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Pastry

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1/3 cup self-raising flour

1/4 cup caster sugar

2 tablespoons custard powder

150g butter, chilled, chopped 

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons iced water

Method

Step 1 - Make pastry 

Process flours, sugar, custard powder and butter until mixture resembles bread-crumbs. Add egg yolk, vanilla and water. 

Process until dough comes together, adding extra water if necessary. Shape dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, peel, quarter and core apples. Cut into thin wedges. Place in a large saucepan. Stir in cinnamon, caster sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice. Cook, covered, over medium heat, for 10 minutes or until apple is just tender, stirring halfway. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 4cm-deep, 20cm (base) round pie dish. Roll two-thirds pastry between 2 sheets baking paper until large enough to line base and side of prepared dish (about 32cm). Press pastry into dish. Using a slotted spoon, transfer apple to dish. Discard liquid.

Step 4

Roll remaining pastry between 2 sheets baking paper until large enough to cover filling. Place over filling. Trim edge. Press edges to seal. Prick top of pie to let steam escape during cooking. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Step 5

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until pastry is golden (cover with foil if over-browning during cooking). Stand for 5 minutes. 

Serve with cream or ice-cream.

This recipe will serve 8 people and will take 1 hour 55 minutes approximately to prepare and cook.