Apple Pie

Last week my dad and I made apple pies using some lovely apples a friend had given us.

I was in charge of making the pastry. These are the ingredients you will need:

Plain flour, self-raising flour, custard powder, cornflour, salt, butter, sugar and an egg, seperated.

I doubled the recipe to make two pie crusts, because we had lotsa-apples. I also managed to make a little baby pie out of the scraps!

First, sift the flours into the bowl. Being the wally that I am I forgot to add the cornflour. I am not sure what it does, but don't forget to add it like I did, because it must be in there for a reason!

Sift in the custard powder. Add in a pinch of salt.

Rub in the butter...


Until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs.

Add in the sugar and mix well.

Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks.


Add some water...

and mix it all together.

Knead the dough lightly, then refridgerate for 1 hour.


Lightly flour your surface.

And cut the dough in half.

Roll out one half of the dough

until big enough to line your pie dish.

Trim off excess pastry from the edge of the dish. Spread base of pie with jam. The recipe said apricot, but we didn't have any so we just used raspberry. Use whatever you have!

Scoop apple onto pie.

Roll out the other half of pastry. Brush the edges of the pie with a little milk and cover with pastry.

Trim the edges of the pie.

Decorate the pie with pastry scraps, if desired. Cut a slit in the top to let the steam escape and brush pie with lightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake in moderate oven about 40 mins or until pie is golden brown.

Here's how our other pie turned out. I call it the Harry Potter pie.

And here's our Easter pie. It has a bunny on it. I used the bunny cutter I showed you before. Unfortunately I didnt get time to make bunny biccies for Easter :(

Serve with custard or ice cream. Whatever you prefer- it is your pie. But not this one. This one is mine!

Here is the recipe:

Pastry

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup self-raising flour

1/3 cup custard powder

1/3 cup cornflour

pinch salt

185g butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons water (approximately)

1 egg white for glazing

extra sugar

Filling

7 large cooking apples

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons apricot jam

Pastry: Sift flours, custard powder and salt into bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, add sugar; mix well. Make well in centre of dry ingredients, add egg yolk and water, mix to firm dough, knead lightly. Refrigerate pastry one hour.

Roll out just over half the pastry, line a 23cm pie dish. Spread base of pie with jam. Put cooled and drained apple over jam.

Roll out remaining pastry, brush edges of pie with milk and cover with pastry. Press edges together firmly, trim and decorate. Brush top with lightly beaten egg white, sprinkle with extra sugar. Cut a few slits in top.

Bake in moderately hot oven 20 minutes, reduce heat to moderate, cook further 20 to 25 minutes or until pie is golden brown.

Filling: Peel, quarter and core apples; cut each quarter in half lengthways. Put in saucepan with water, sugar and lemon rind. Cook covered, until apples are almost tender and still holding shape. Remove from heat, drain off syrup; allow apples to cool.

Enjoy!