7. Apple Pie Recipe

A traditional pudding which can be enjoyed all year round. During summer, it can be served with cream and during winter, custard makes a great accompaniment. This recipe has a bit of a twist with the addition of marmalade and cinnamon and tastes superb.
General information:

• Serves 6 (if you use a 23cm pie dish)
• Preparation time: 35 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• This recipe is suitable for vegetarians, of course ;)

Utensils:

• 23cm pie dish
• A mixing bowl
• A knife
• Baking/greaseproof paper
• Rolling pin
• Large saucepan with lid
• Baking brush
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

• For the pastry:
• 250g plain flour
• 30g icing sugar
• 185g cold butter, cubed
• 2 egg yolks
• Milk, small amount used for glazing
• Caster sugar, small amount used for sprinkling

• For the filling:
• 4-5 green cooking apples, sliced (I use homegrown Bramley apples but Granny Smith apples are also suitable)
• 160g caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon marmalade
• 30g butter (the initial temperature does not matter as it will eventually be melted in the pan)
• 30ml water

Method:

1. Grease pie dish. Place the flour, icing sugar and butter in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Mix in the egg using a knife until a dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a ball.
2. Divide the dough into two portions, one slightly bigger than the other. Roll the larger portion between two sheets of baking paper to fit the pie dish (don't worry if it's slightly larger than the pie dish, you can easily trim off any excess later). Roll the smaller portion of dough between two sheets of baking paper to fit the top of the dish. Leave both pastries in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
3. Add the apples, sugar, cinammon and water to the pan. Cover and cook over a low heat, stirring often until the apples have softened. Remove from the heat and mix in the marmalade and butter. Leave to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C (fan). Line the pastry dish with the larger sheet of pastry, pour in the filling and place the pastry lid on top. Trim off any excess, seal the edge using a fork and brush the pie with the milk. Make some holes in the lid using the fork to allow steam to escape preventing the pie from bursting in the oven. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 10 minutes then reduced the oven to 180°C (fan) and cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

If you have any questions about this recipe then please don't hesitate to contact me either by leaving a comment below or via Twitter. Also, if any of you do try out this recipe, tell me how it went (a photo would be nice).