Christmas Apple Pie
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 45 minutes plus resting time
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 8
For pastry
- 435g/15ozs cake flour
- 2.5 tablespoons caster or superfine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 265g/9.4ozs butter, cold and cubed
- 7-8 tablespoons ice water
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
For filling
- 750g/26.5ozs. apples
- 150g/5ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornflour/fine cornstarch
Step 1 - Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process to a fine sandy texture. Add 6 tablespoons of water and pulse to just combine. Add an extra tablespoon of water if needed, use it sparingly as needed for it to start to come together but it shouldn't ball up now. Then knead on a benchtop to form a cohesive dough adding a few drops of water if you need it - you don't want it dry or cracked but you don't want it sticky. Divide in two equal parts and cover in cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
Step 2 - Peel, core and chop the apples and toss with sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon and place in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes until starting to get soft and juices are released. This step can be done ahead of time (I usually do this a day ahead).
Step 3 - Spray a large pie tin with non stick oil spray and roll out one half of the pastry and place on the pie tin. Dock with a fork and place in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. Oil a sheet of foil and place on top of the pastry and use pastry weights to weigh down the foil. Bake for 20 minutes and then carefully remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes. Your pie base is ready to use. Stir in cornflour into the juice and spoon the cooled pie filling and juice into the base.
Step 4 - While it is in the fridge in step 2 you can get on with making the top. Roll out the other half of pastry and trim to fit on top of the pie and crimp the edges if you like. With the remaining pastry rolled out you are going to cut out baubles using bauble cookie cutters. Don't roll this pastry too thickly as the pie already has a layer of pastry already. Also it helps if you refrigerate your pastry for 5-10 minutes before you cut it out. Dust your cookie cutters in flour and cut out baubles. Then use a pizza cutter to cut thin strips as "string" and decorate them however you like. I used small stars and made swirls and made tiny balls by rolling up the pastry in my hand. Rest in the fridge for 15-30 minutes and then brush lightly with egg wash. Bake at 190C/374F for 35 minutes or until the top is golden.