Your Apple Pie

Today, October 19th, I’m going to share my recipe for Apple Pie with you. 

My dads favourite dessert was warm apple pie and custard. When I was in school, doing my junior cert, I made apple cobs for my home economics practical exam. They’re basically a personal pie version of apple pie, super delicious, I’ll make a post about them soon. I practiced making them for weeks and my dad had the pleasure and chore of getting rid of them all!! 

I’ve jazzed my apple pie recipe up a bit over the years but I try and keep it as close to what he liked as possible which means always having to serve it with custard, not that that’s a sacrifice! 

First things first, pastry. I know it seems easier to buy pre-made pastry and believe me when it comes to puff pastry, 9 out of 10 times, I’m right there with you. But when it comes to shortcrust I’m all for homemade. You more than likely already have all the ingredients at home and the process is actually simple enough. The chilling time is your biggest con here and even then the outcome is worth it, trust me!

Shortcrust pastry is flour, fat, salt and water, that’s it. 2:1 ratio of flour to (cold) fat is all you need to remember to nail this recipe. Because the ingredients are so few and simple I would recommend using good quality products to yield the best results. For me this means King Arthur all purpose flour and Kerrygold unsalted butter, but of course, use your favourite brand. The key to good shortcrust pastry is keeping everything as cold as possible and so handling the dough as little as possible.

Your filling is where you can have a bit more fun. Back home you would traditionally use cooking apples and some granulated sugar as your filling but you can add whatever you want here really. They don’t technically have cooking apples in the US so I like to do a mix of different apples and a mix of sugars. 

I always use Granny Smith apples, I think it’s as close as you’d get to a cooking apple as it’s quite tart and then a mix of honey crisp and gala for their sweetness. Brown sugar is never far from my mind and it’s perfect in a sweet tart because it turns into a delicious caramel in the oven. I like to do a mix of light brown sugar and granulated. Brown sugar and cinnamon are definitely my favourite combination at the minute, maybe it’s the change of seasons or maybe it’s just an amazing combination, either way it’s going in this pie. If I had my way I’d add more cinnamon but for this pie I add just enough to give me the combo I’m looking for while still being a crowd pleaser. 

Right, time to put it all together. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Bácáil Sona kids!!

YOUR APPLE PIE

⏲ PREP TIME: 1 hour

⏲ BAKING TIME: 1 hour

⏲ RESTING TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes

🥧 SERVINGS: 10 slices

EQUIPMENT

• large mixed bowl

• 9 inch pie dish

• sieve

• food weighing scale

• butter knife

• rolling pin

• pastry brush

INGREDIENTS

Shortcrust Pastry 

• 450 grams all purpose flour (use good quality, I like king arthur)

• 112 grams/ 1 stick cold unsalted butter(again, good quality, which to me is always kerrygold)

• 112 grams/ 1 stick cold vegetable shortening

• 1/2 tsp/ 2.5 grams salt

• 1 tsp/ 4 grams granulated sugar

• 7 tbsp/ 105 mls cold water (start with 3 until you're happy with consistency)

Apple Filling 

• 340 grams/ 2 granny smith apples

• 170 grams/ 1 honey crisp apple

• 170 grams/ 1 gala apple

• 60 grams light brown sugar

• 40 grams granulated sugar (extra for pie top)

• 2 tbsp/ 30 grams all purpose flour

• 20 mls lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp milk (for brushing)

INSTRUCTIONS

Shortcrust Pastry

1.

Put your butter into the freezer for at least two hours. I leave mine over night so it's as cool as possible. I keep the vegetable shortening in the fridge until the last minute.

2.

Sieve flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

3.

Grate butter into flour. Slice shortening up small and add.

4.

Use a cold butter knife to mix everything together. Use your hands to give it a quick mix to ensure all the butter is coated with flour but don't handle it too much and make sure your hands are cold.

5.

Add ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix with your knife. I use about 7 tablespoons and thinks it's the perfect amount. You don't want it to be too wet.

6.

I formed two balls roughly and quickly with my hands, covered them in cling film and put them in zip locks bags in the fridge.

7.

Leave dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 2 days before rolling out. If you leave it in longer than 2 hours then leave it out for 20-30 minutes before handling so it's not too hard to roll out.

Apple Filling

1.

While your pastry is chilling you can prepare your filling. Peel and thinly slice your apples.

2.

Add apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and lemon juice to a large bowl and mix together. Only add 30 grams of the granulated sugar and 40 grams of the brown. Keep the rest for later.Set aside until you need it.

Pie Construction

1.

Preheat oven to 425°F, 220°C.

2.

Dust your counter with flour and roll out your first pastry ball into a nice thin layer.

3.

I put my pie dish upside down on the pastry and roughly cut a disc shape around it.

4.

I sprayed my dish lightly with vegetable oil because i'm always nervous it won't come out, I know it will, but I can't risk it!

5.

Lightly place your pastry sheet over the dish and press it in with your hands.

6.

Add the apple slices however which way you desire and add your remaining sugar mix every few rows.

7.

Roll out your second pastry ball and place it over the top of your pie.

8.

Tuck the pastry into the apples nice and snug and cut off the excess pastry around the edge of the pie dish. Use the extra pastry to make extra details for the pie, if you want to.

9.

Using your fingers push the pastry edges together to secure the pie and make a nice edge.

10.

Make some slits in the top of the pie to release the steam in the oven. At this point add any extra pastry details you want.

11.

Brush your pie with a milk wash and sprinkle a little extra granulated sugar over the top.

12.

Put into the oven, on a low shelf. After 15 minutes switch the temperature down to 375°F, 190°C.

13.

After 30 minutes take out your pie and put tinfoil around the edges to stop them browning anymore. Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes until the apples are tender and the pie crust is lightly golden.

14.

Let the pie rest for about 2 hours. The filling and sauce will thicken up in this time.

15.

Serve warm with custard or ice cream. I also like to add a drizzle of butterscotch or salted caramel sauce.

NOTES

I made 6 little pies in a cupcake tin with my leftover pastry. I had some leftover apple mix so I chopped them up smaller and made 4 mini apple pies and with the 2 other shortcrust bases I added some of my butterscotch sauce.