Ingredients for apple pie (serves 6)
Two and a half cups of plain flour
One teaspoon of baking powder
One quarter of a cup of icing sugar
165 grams of chilled butter cubes
Two eggs
Six Granny Smith apples
Half of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
The juice and finely grated rind of one lemon
One third of a cup of castor sugar
Two tablespoons of ground almonds
Cream – this is to serve on top of your apple pie.
Ice cream – also to serve with.
How to make fresh apple pie
First, turn your oven to 200°C so it starts heating while we mix the ingredients.
Mix the icing sugar, the flour, the butter, and the baking powder in a food processor or blender until the apple pie ingredients look like breadcrumbs. Then add in the egg.
If the mixture needs it add a teaspoon or two of water.
Keep blending until the apple pie dough forms one mass. Add more water if you need to.
Turn the apple pie pastry onto a floured surface or rolling board. Roll or knead the apple pie dough until it is smooth.
Shape two-thirds of the dough into a 10 centimeter across circle shape, and the rest of the apple pie dough into a 6 centimeter circle. Wrap each dough circle separately in greaseproof paper. Refrigerate both apple pie dough circles for half an hour or so.
Now for the apples. Peel the apples, core them and then slice the apples into thin slices. Put the sliced apples into a bowl. Next add the lemon juice, the rind cinnamon, and the sugar. Mix the ingredients together well.
Roll the large pastry circle out to a 26cm circle. Use to line a 23cm fluted flan pan. Sprinkle this with the almonds and then top with apple.
Roll out the rest of the pastry to a 23cm circle. Place this over the apple mixture – this is the top of your pie. Press the edges of the pastry together. Trim to make it look neat and tidy.
Now beat the last egg. Brush the pastry with it, to add a lovely golden glaze. Sprinkle the top of your fresh home cooked apple pie recipe with the last 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place your fresh apple pie in the pan onto a baking tray and put it into the oven.
Bake your apple pie for 20 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, lower the temperature in the oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Bake your apple pie at this temperature for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Give your guests the option of cream or ice cream when serving. If using ice cream, vanilla is generally the most well received!
If you are holding a party, here are a few handy links to products that may interest you....