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Apple Pie
Paul Clerehugh recipes as featured on the Nicki Whiteman Show
Paul Clerehugh is BBC Radio Berkshire’s guest chef.
He is chef proprietor of the Crooked Billet, one of England’s most famous foodie pubs.
Surely one of our oldest puds- apples baked in pastry- highly transportable sweet
version of a pastry.
Recipes date back to medieval times; the Pilgrim Fathers took the idea to America.
Delicious hot or cold (hot with custard- cold with thick cream) try mixing a couple
varieties of apple in the filling mix, I’ve included a quince in my filling.
Paul Clerehugh
Ingredients
Pastry
450g plain flour
Pinch salt
50g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Finely grated zest of 1 orange and lemon
350g cold butter, diced
About 5 tbsp cold water to mix
1 Egg mixed with a little milk for Egg wash
Filling
450g dessert apples. (Try to mix a couple of varieties, e.g. russet, braeburn, cox, even a
quince).
450g Bramley apples
Knob of butter
50g caster sugar
50g runny honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
bbc.co.uk/berkshire
1. To make the pastry- sift the flour and salt together, then add the sugar, lemon and
orange zests. With very cold hands, carefully rub in the butter until like breadcrumbs.
2. Add just enough of the water to combine the dough.
3. Wrap in a clean damp tea towel or cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minuets.
4. To make the filling- peel, core and cut all the apples into 2.5cm chucks. Melt the
butter in a large pan and add the dessert apples.
5. Simmer over a moderate heat for 2 minuets, then add the bramleys, honey, sugar and
cinnamon, simmer for a further 2 minuets.
6. The idea being that the bramleys will hold its shape, whilst the dessert apples will
break down to more of a sauce. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
7. I’ve decided to make individual pies- no problem if you want to make a large sharing
type. Roll the pastry out to 4mm thickness, cut out circles that will fit a 12-hole cup
cake or muffin tray. Line with the pastry circles, than spoon in the fruit mixture.
8. Cut lids and rest on the top, pinching the pastry edges to seal. Chill in the frigde to
firm up the pastry for half an hour. Pre heat the oven to 220ºc / 440ºf/ Gas mark 7
9. Brush the pastry lids with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Pierce a little steam
hole in the top of each lid and bake for 20-30 minuets, until crisp and golden.
Hear more from BBC Radio Berkshire’s guest chef Paul Clerehugh on
Nicki Whiteman’s afternoon show,
tune into the food hour at 2pm on Friday afternoons.