Rummaging through the recipe book drawer, one cold Winter's afternoon I had the urge to bake something that would instantly fill my body with warmth and liven up everybody's spirits. It just so happened to be that there were endless amounts of Granny Smith apples at home and having stumbled across Donna Hay's fruit based recipe cookbook, it was decided that American Apple Pie was the way to go. This apple pie is best enjoyed straight out of the oven served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a dollop of dulce de leche.
American Apple Pie
Ingredients
1 quantity sweet shortcut pastry (see recipe below)
1 egg, lightly beaten
sugar for sprinkling (optional)
8 green apples (1.2kg/2lb 7oz), peeled and chopped
1 tbsp water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp almond meal
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
- To make the filling, place the apples and water in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
- Cover and simmer, shaking the pan occasionally, for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool completely.
- Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon.
- Divide the pastry into two-thirds and one-third. Roll out the two-thirds portion on a lightly floured surface until 3mm (1/8 in) thick and place in a shallow 24cm (9 1/2 in) pie tin.
- Sprinkle over the almond meal and pack the apples tightly into the pastry shell.
- Roll out the remaining pastry to fit over the top of the pie. Brush the rim with water, press the edges together and trim. Cut several slits (or whatever design you may prefer using a knife) in the top of the pastry, brush with the egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
3 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
150g (5 oz) cold butter, chopped
2-3 tbsp iced water
Method
- Process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process until just combined.
- Knead the dough lightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
(recipe adapted from Donna Hay)
