Max's Favourite Apple Pie

This is originally Jo Seager’s mother’s recipe! I always make it for Max as it is one of his favourite foods and also excellent cold the next day. I have doubled the original pastry recipe as there is never enough  to easily cover the apple but it means that you have a little left over to make jam tarts or for Lucy to eat raw. 

My only advice is that if you are going to serve it on a cake stand for a flash dessert put a wet paper towel underneath the metal base as otherwise it may sail off the stand and crash in a splatter of pastry and apple all over the table - true story!

If any grandchild wishes to make this away from home I will send them the money to buy a pie plate.

Ingredients

Shortcake pastry

250 g butter (leave out the night before if you think of it so it is soft)

250 g sugar - I use caster sugar but ordinary sugar is fine

2 eggs

3 cups flour

4 tablespoons cornflour

2 tablespoons custard powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling

800 g (approximately 4 cups) lightly stewed apple, well drained.  I generally use about 6-8 Granny Smiths.

1 teaspoon mixed spice

Quarter teaspoon ground cloves

Icing sugar to decorate

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C (or 180 fanbake) beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs then the sifted dry ingredients. Mix until soft pastry forms into a ball.

I line the bottom of the plate with baking paper. Roll about half of the mixture into a ball and then push into the loose bottom 23-25 cm pie dish and up the sides. 

To make the filling, in a large saucepan bring the stewed apple gently to the boil, stir in spices and while bubbly and hot, pour over shortcake mixture in pie plate.

Meanwhile roughly roll out the remaining half of pastry and place over the hot filling. You won’t be able to do this in one piece - just patchwork it on to cover the apple and fill in any pieces so there are no gaps. Use the left overs for tarts with a bit of jam.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. I look after in the oven after about 15 minutes and often put a piece of baking paper over the top so it doesn’t burn while the bottom is cooking.

Cool in pie plate and sprinkle with icing sugar to serve with cream or icecream or both.