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This recipe is so easy, and you can use shop bought butter pastry, but we have used homemade flaky pastry as it really is a lot better! For making sweet pies, there is nothing like homemade pastry. We have also added blackberries to this one as the apple soaks up the juices and give a lovely pretty color to the dish. You only need a few and they can be fresh or frozen.

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time (including pastry): 45 mins
Cooking Time: 40 mins

INGREDIENTS:

2½ lbs of good quality apples
5 oz golden caster sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
Blackberries, optional

For the pastry:
8 oz of butter at room temperature
2 eggs (1 whole egg and 1 separated)
12 oz of plain flour

METHOD:

Choose your dish first; the ideal size is a round  8 in or slightly larger one, and about 2 in deep.

First make your pastry by beating the sugar and butter together. Add 1 whole egg and the yolk from the other (the white is used for glazing). Mix together well. It will look a bit lumpy at this stage, so add the flour a little at a time and mix together with a wooden spoon. When mixed, pull all the dough together with your hands into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30-40 mins.

Whilst the dough is chilling, peel and core the apples, then cut into smallish chunks. Leave to drain between 2 pieces of kitchen paper. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

When the pastry has chilled, lightly flour your surface and pull off about a third of the pastry and roll out enough to cover the base of your dish, with a slight overhang.

Mix the apples with the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and place over the pastry base. At this stage, add the blackberries and mix, if required. Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid and place on the top of the mixture. Press the edges down firmly and make the edging a pretty fluted style by using a fork or your thumb. Trim off any rough edges.

Put a few small slashes in the top of the lid and brush with the remaining egg white. Top with a sprinkling of caster sugar and place in the oven.

Bake for 40 mins or until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little caster sugar or icing sugar and serve with cream, custard or ice cream.

TIPS

Make more apple mix and freeze. This can be used for more pies or sauces or a crumble.

Try the same pie with pear and ginger – delicious!