Apple and almond pie

There is nothing to beat an apple pie and with Autumn well established, this is the best time of year for getting your hands on some apples, be they from friends' gluts, scrumped from the wild or overhanging branches or from your local farm shop.
Regular visitors to this blog will already know that we have 3 ancient and prolific apple trees and an annual challenge to use our harvest, ahem, fruitfully.

This is a special apple pie - elevated, to coin a much overused and current culinary adverb, above the ordinary.

This will make 6 - 8 portions.

Short crust pastry

250g plain flour

125g cold butter

1 egg yolk

Cold water

Pie filling

2lb apples

2 tablespoons jam

50g ground almonds

1 egg white

70g sugar

Chop the apples into 8 - 10 chunks and put them in a saucepan with 200ml water.

There is no need to peel or core them.

Cook gently until the apples have completely collapsed.  Push the apples through a sieve and then place the pulp in a muslin bag (use a J cloth or an old pair of clean tights if you haven't got a muslin bag.)

Leave to drain.  Pour off the juice, sweeten to taste, dilute with water to suit your palate and drink!

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC

Grease a 10" prospector pan or your favourite pie dish.

Make the shortcrust pastry; rub the butter into the flour then add the egg yolk and enough water to bind.

Roll out just over half the pastry and line your pan/pie dish.

Spread the jam over the pastry, I used home made damson but any other tart jam would work, such as a good quality raspberry.  Avoid the sweeter jams like strawberry.

Sprinkle over the ground almonds.

Whisk the egg white until stiff, then whisk in the sugar until glossy.

Fold into the apple purée and then spread this over the pie base.

Top with rest of the pastry and put 3 small cuts into the top.

Place in the hot oven for 30 minutes.

Serve at room temperature with clotted cream.

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©