Surely one of the treats of autumn is the wealth of fresh seasonal
fruit that it brings.
And what’s more, this seasonable fruit can be locally sourced or even foraged, which is good for the environment, good for the local economy and good for your profit margins too.
Apples are one of the most abundant and versatile autumnal fruits available. Harvested throughout September and October, you can use apples in many
different ways all the way through the autumn and winter months.
Whether it’s a fresh apple crumble, a winter warming mulled
cider or even a winter ice cream to serve with any number of desserts, there’s lots of ways to incorporate apples onto your menu.
Inspired by this ultimate apple pie, here’s a recipe you can add to your menu that not only tastes great, but looks great too, meaning your customers will be easily tempted when this is on display with all of your other desserts.
Ingredients and Equipment
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INGREDIENTS |
EQUIPMENT |
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PASTRY |
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700g plain flour |
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4 tsp golden caster sugar |
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500g unsalted butter frozen and then grated |
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4 egg yolks (reserving the egg whites) |
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160ml whole milk |
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FILLING |
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4kg apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick |
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100g unsalted butter |
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1 tsp nutmeg |
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2 tsp cinnamon |
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2 juice of a lemon |
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4 cloves |
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140g light brown muscovado sugar |
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2 tsp vanilla paste |
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4 tbsp cornflour with 100 ml of water |
Prep and Cooking Instructions
- Add the flour and caster sugar to your food processor, and pulse in the butter bit by bit until you achieve breadcrumb consistency. Gradually add the egg yolks mixing all the time and then the milk, until it all comes together to make a smooth pastry. Cover and rest in the fridge for an hour.
- For the filling, add the butter, sliced apples, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, muscovado sugar, vanilla paste, 2 cloves and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes to soften the apples and the spices.
- Whisk the water into the cornflour and then add to the pan with the apples. Keep cooking for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
- Take your pastry out of the fridge and roll out enough for the top and bottom of your pie dish.
- Grease the bottom of your pie dish with butter and sprinkle with flour and line the bottom of your pie dish with the pastry, with some overhanging the lip. Brush the base and sides of the pastry with the leftover egg whites. This effectively seals the pastry so it doesn’t get a soggy base.
- Add the cooled apple mix to the pie. You want to layer them so there are no gaps and the top is as flat as possible and in line with the rim of the pie dish and lay the top layer of pastry. Trim any excess pastry off and crimp the edge of the pie to your choosing.
- With any excess pastry roll out and cut a desired pattern for your pie top. Brush the whole top with your egg milk glaze and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar. Leave in the fridge for 20 mins to avoiding shrinking pastry.
- Bake your pie for about an hour but keep an eye on it. If it does start to burn or catch cover with some tin foil or rotate.
- Recommended to be served with some vanilla ice cream or some custard.
Follow these steps for the perfect, Autumn apple pie to add to your seasonal menu.
