Apple plate pie
The cooking apples give this pie a sharpness and softness, while the eating apples give sweetness and bite.
SERVES 6 PREP 45min, plus chilling COOK 40min
• 275g plain flour
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 140g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 3-4tbsp chilled water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2tsp caster sugar, for sprinkling
FOR THE FILLING
• 2 large cooking apples (about 700g), peeled, cored and sliced
• 4tbsp caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3tbsp water
• 2 eating apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2tbsp semolina
1 First, make the pastry. Put flour and icing sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add butter and use your fingertips to rub it in until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add water, a couple of teaspoons at a time, mixing between each addition, until you’ve added just enough to bring the pastry together. Gently knead pastry into a ball, then wrap in cling film and chill for
30min to rest.
2 Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the cooking apple slices in a pan with caster sugar, cinnamon stick and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium heat, until the apples begin to fall, but still hold their shape. Transfer apples to a clean bowl, discarding cinnamon stick, and allow to cool.
3 Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Remove pastry from the fridge and divide into 2 pieces, roughly ⅔ and ⅓. Place the larger piece on a lightly floured worktop and roll out to 2-3mm thick. Use this pastry sheet to line base of a 24cm pie plate, then roll out smaller pastry to 2-3mm thick to form pie lid.
4 Sprinkle semolina over pastry base. Mix sliced eating apples with cooled apple filling and tip apple mixture onto pie base, spreading it out evenly but leaving a ring of pastry around the edge.
5 Brush edges of the pie with beaten egg, then cover with lid. Crimp edges using the tines of a fork to press down on the pastry rim, then trim away any excess. Use any pastry trimmings to make decorations for the top, if you wish.
6 Brush top of the pie with more beaten egg, then sprinkle with 2tsp caster sugar. Make 3 small slits in top of pie to let the steam out.
7 Bake pie for 30-35min, until golden brown. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 15min before serving. Enjoy with ice cream, cream or custard.
‘A delicious treat that deserves a good dollop of cream or custard’