Cooking class
A perfect apple pie is like a warm hug, with sweet flaky pastry woven into a beautiful lattice pattern.
Old-fashioned apple pie SERVES 8 PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS 20 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION & STANDING TIME)
10 medium Granny Smith apples (1.5kg)
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon, extra
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 80g unsalted butter, chopped 1 egg, beaten lightly vanilla ice cream, to serve
1 PASTRY Process flours, custard powder, sugar and butter until crumbly. Add egg yolks and water; process until combined. Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2 Peel, core and slice apples thickly. Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, half the butter and ½ cup (125ml) water in a large pan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes or until apples soften. Cool completely then drain any excess liquid.
3 Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Grease a deep 25cm metal pie dish.
4 Roll one-third of the pastry between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line dish. Lift pastry into dish; press into base and side.
PASTRY
3 cups (450g) plain flour ½ cup (75g) cornflour
½ cup (60g) custard powder 2 tablespoons caster sugar 200g cold unsalted butter, chopped coarsely
2 egg yolks
½ cup (125ml) ice-cold water
Spoon apple mixture into pastry case; dot with remaining pieces of butter. Brush edge with a little beaten egg.
5 On a floured surface, roll remaining two-thirds of pastry into a rough 40cm long rectangle. Cut into 24 x 1.5cm thick strips. Arrange 12 strips across the pie. Form a lattice pattern by arranging and interlocking 12 strips across first strips. Gently press ends into crust edges; trim excess. Brush pastry with beaten egg; sprinkle with extra sugar.
6 Bake pie on lower shelf for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced); bake for a further 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Stand for 20 minutes before cutting into slices.
7 Serve slices of apple pie warm with ice cream.