7. Apple Pie

This is one of those recipes I remember by heart from when I was younger, because it's one my dad was a master at making. I remember the smell of the cinnamon and cloves, and seeing how many sugar and spice coated apple slices we could eat before they were topped with a pastry lid and baked. It's a classic, and although people are obsessed with new and exciting flavour combinations or deconstructed things, I think this apple pie stands out with it's simplicity and the irreplaceable memories that go along with it.

Apple Pie
Makes one 23cm pie

For pastry:
350g plain flour
250g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
15g sugar
1tsp salt
about 125g water, chilled

1 egg, for egg wash
granulated sugar to coat

For filling:
7 Granny Smith Apples (or any other tart variety)
100g dark brown sugar
56g caster sugar
20g cornflour
1/2 lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
40g unsalted butter, cut up into small cubes

Start by making the pastry. Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Rub in your chilled butter until it resembles coarse bread crumbs (don't worry if there are any larger pieces, they will help to make the pastry flaky once rolled). Add in your water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and there are no more dry bits. Divide into two and shape into discs, then wrap in cling film and chill for an hour.

Roll one of the discs out to 2mm in thickness. Line your pie tart, prick the base with a fork and chill for a further 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Peel, core and slice your apples. Mix together with the sugars, cornflour, lemon juice and spices. Fill your chilled pastry case and spread the small cubes of butter over top.

Roll your second disc out quite thinly into a long rectangle about 1mm thick. Cut strips about 3cm wide. Start the basket weave of your top crust by covering the pie with parallel strips of dough. Then fold back every other strip and lay a new piece perpendicular to them. Place the folded strips back over top of your pie and alternate folding back every other strip and adding a new strip perpendicular. Then it's over, under, over, under until the whole pie is covered. This may take some practice to master, but hey, it's food... it's all going to be delicious in the end. So don't worry if it takes you 2 or 3 pies to master this technique, I'm sure family and friends won't mind.

Trim the excess dough away, crimp the edges and egg wash the top of your pastry. Sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar overtop and bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. If you're feeling extra fancy, top a slice with a bit of vanilla ice cream when serving (I know Dad would!).