Recipe | Apple Pie

It’s the season of the apple, and what better way to celebrate this delectable fruit than with a tasty apple pie recipe, served with a generous serving of clotted cream or custard?

Our Chefs have chosen a classic apple pie recipe by Mary Berry for this seasonal recipe.

Ingredients

675g cooking apple, peeled, cored and thickly sliced

50 – 75g caster sugar, depending on how sweet or tart the apples are

4 whole cloves

For the pastry:

175g plain flour

50g diced butter

50g diced white baking vegetable fat

Milk to glaze

Sugar for sprinkling

Method

Arrange half the apple slices in the bottom of a shallow 900ml pie dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Arrange the cloves evenly among the apples. Cover with the remaining apple slices and add 3 tablespoons of cold water.

To make the pastry, measure the flour into a bowl. Add the diced butter and white vegetable fat and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add about 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix to a firm dough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a size that will cover the top of the pie dish. Lift the dough onto the dish and trim the edges. Cut the trimmings into decorative shapes, such as leaves, and lightly press onto the dough if you like. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Brush the pie with a little milk, then sprinkle the top with sugar. Make a small slit in the centre of the pie for the steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the pastry is crisp and pale golden. Cover the pie loosely with foil towards the end of the cooking time if the pastry starts to brown before the apples are cooked.

You can freeze the pie after cooking and when completely cool. Leave to defrost almost completely before reheating and serving. Uncooked homemade pastry is an excellent standby for the freezer. Pack it in separate quantities of 225g (8oz) and 450g (1lb), labelling it clearly. Defrost in the fridge or kitchen until pliable enough to roll and use.

Recipe by Mary Berry and sourced from Happy Foodie.