You're the Apple (Pie) of my Eye

Let's kick off the first post of the new year with a bit of word association: apple...what does that make you think of? I'm guessing 'pie' would be pretty high up there in the responses, and it's what I think of first. Flaky, buttery pastry and sweet, velvety-soft apple-y insides, served with a side of icecream and/or custard - I'm in heaven! Best of all, apples are available all year round so pie's never too far away! Also apologies in advance for the lack of photographic how-to-do but luckily a very good friend had their phone at the ready so all credit to them!

According to Wikipedia, there's three broad classifications of pie, all depending on the whereabouts of the crust e.g. top, bottom or double. Top refers to a pie where there's only a pastry lid on top of the filling in the dish - which incidentally was the most common way of making pies in the recipe books that I looked over. Bottom means there's pastry on the base but not on the top...essentially an open pie, if you like. Although, if you think about it, couldn't it also be called a tart? Double or two crust, as it's also known, is as its name suggests, a pastry lid and bottom fully encasing a filling. This type is the one I think of when I picture pie but which one do you guys think of?

This recipe has been adapted from one of Jamie Oliver's who, I'm sure, needs no introduction. One of the most well known celebrity chefs, his stance on healthy eating has garnered a lot of support. This recipe on the other hand, is not the most healthy but it's definitely delicious, so eat in moderation and maybe follow it up with a 5 kilometer run and salad for a week. I also found that it makes more pastry than needed, so save those trimmings! You could probably stretch the remainders to make a tart case that can be filled with any manner of things: marscapone lightened with fluffy, whipped cream dotted with raspberries tossed with lemon juice and a dusting of icing sugar springs to mind; or maybe a creamy, eggy, cheesy quiche with mushrooms and onion would be more to your tastes; or maybe go for the traditional meat pie with juicy mince and chunky gravy. I managed to stretch the remaining pastry to make a tarte tatin (an upside down apple tart) and the results were extremely satisfying. Happy tummies all round!

Golden brown crust - check 

Creamy and crisp and oh-so-good

Apple Pie (adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe)

Makes one 23cm pie

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Pastry:

• 250g butter, cubed and chilled
• 350g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbs caster sugar
• 150mL cold water
• Optional: beaten egg for brushing 

Filling:

• 7 apples (I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Sundowners but I think any apples will do)
• 5 cloves 
• 4 Tbs caster sugar (increase or decrease according to taste and how sweet the apples are)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g butter

METHOD

1. Grease a 23cm quiche dish and set aside. Preheat oven to 190'C.
2. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, then rub butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add water and mix until a rough dough forms (this pastry's pretty forgiving, but try not to overmix otherwise you might end up with chewy pastry instead of flaky goodness - if there's still lumps of butter, it's all good!)
4. Separate the dough into two, then roll each half into a ball and flatten into a disc like shape, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge. While the pastry's resting, make the filling.
5. Peel and core the apples, then slice into ~ 5mm slices. 
6. Melt the butter, sugar and cinnamon over medium heat in a saucepan, then add 3/4 of the apple slices and the cloves.
7. Cook until the apples soften, stirring occasionally, then add the remaining 1/4 of apples to the saucepan and cook for ~4-5 minutes until the apples soften but still hold their shape. (Optional step: if you want a thicker filling, mix some cornflour and water to form a slurry, then add it to the apple mixture and cook for another minute or so until it's thickened)
8. Remove the cloves from the mixture and let it cool (you can speed up this process by spreading the filling out on a plate)
9. While the filling's cooling, take one of the pastry discs and roll it out to ~3-5mm on a floured surface to ~3-4cm larger than the size of your dish, then line the dish with the pastry (don't worry if there's overhang). Fill the dish with the apple mixture.
10. Roll out the other disc to ~1cm larger than the size of your dish then lay it on top of the dish and seal by gently pressing the edges together.
11. Run a knife around the edge of the dish to remove the overhang and decorate to your liking, but don't forget to add some steam holes in the lid e.g. making some slits with a knife. To get a really nice golden brown colour, brush the pastry with some egg before putting into the oven.
12. Bake pie for 60-80 minutes (I found that I had to cook it for 80 minutes before the base cooked through, but just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn) or until golden brown.

Happy slothing!!

xx