Apple Pie

Method

• step 1

  Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 9 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

• step 2

  Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

• step 3

  Now for the filling: sprinkle lemon juice over apples in a saucepan. And then mix the sugar, corn flour, nutmeg and cinnamon into the apple, until all evenly distributed throughout the apple mixture. Will be very dry; don't worry!

• step 4

  While doing this put 1 cup of apple juice on the hob in a separate pan or in the microwave, until well heated.

• step 5

  Add heated apple juice to saucepan and stir, while letting the apples heat. Wait until boiled and thickened. Don't worry if it doesn't look thick enough; it happens rather quickly once boiled.

• step 6

  Once thickened, take off hob and prepare pie dish, by rolling out 2/3 the dough and lining it with butter and then the doe, squished to fit into each edge snugly.

• step 7

  Pour out apples into dough lining, until full, sprinkle with sugar and then, roll out the last 1/3 of the dough into a suitable lid for the pie. Brush the edges with milk/egg glaze and place pie lid on top of the filled bottom. Press edges to stick. Go round the edges with a fork to create a pattern and reinforce the stick.

• step 8

  Trim the edges with a knife. Make two slits in the middle of the pie. If you like you can use the excess dough to make a pattern on top of the pie. I suggest leaves.

• step 9

  Glaze the top and sprinkle a handful of sugar across the top. Put in oven, and bake for 20 minutes plus until it looks ready.