THE BEST APPLE PIE
- Smartrade smartrade
- Mar 20, 2021
- 3 min read
5-6 apples of the variety you like best, in this case we have chosen red apples. It is usually about 1 kg.
70 gr of brown sugar.
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.
2 tablespoons of butter.
A bit of salt.
For the shortcrust pastry:
150 gr of wheat flour, better if it is loose or special for pastry.
60 gr of butter, well chilled.
1 egg (or 50 ml of cold water, ideal for those who do not want to include egg, and it is also very very good).
1/2 teaspoon of salt.
For a sweet dough, simply add a little less salt, and 30 gr of powdered sugar, although you can also prepare it without sugar and use it in sweets, because it is quite neutral in flavor.
-----------------------------------------------------------------First prepare the shortcrust pastry following the recipe below:
In a bowl, pour the flour by sifting it through a sieve. Take the butter out of the refrigerator, cut it into pieces and mix it with the flour with your own fingers, without kneading too much, leaving a kind of "crumbs".
Add the remaining ingredients: egg or water, salt and optionally sugar. Continue mixing with your fingers to integrate the ingredients until a more or less uniform ball is formed.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
While the shortcrust pastry rests, we prepare the filling:
Peel the apples and remove the core (yes, it sounds a bit cruel, but you have to do it :P). Slice or dice them into small cubes, as you prefer.
In a non-stick pan, put the two tablespoons of butter and heat over medium heat. Let it melt and add the apple slices. Stir well and let the apple become soft for 5 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, stir well and then add a little water (about 50 ml, which is 1/4 glass). Stir to caramelize the apple for 5 more minutes. Set aside and let cool.
When the shortcrust pastry has been resting for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, preheat the oven for about 10 minutes at 180ºC.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator, cut it in half and wrap one of the halves in plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator.
The other half that we have taken out should be stretched with the help of a rolling pin, trying to take the form so that it covers the mold that we are going to use.
Line the mold you are going to use with baking paper, or spread it with a little butter (both the base and the inner walls) so that the cake does not stick.
Put the stretched dough in the mold, covering the walls, cover it with baking paper and put some weight on top so it does not rise. I usually put a round mold smaller than the one I am using, but you can also put legumes, for example chickpeas, so that they make weight and do not rise during baking.
Bake for about 15 minutes to cook and crisp, and remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, roll out the other half of the dough. Cut out the circle you will need, and if you have dough left over, you can use it for decorations. If you have a mold, it is ideal, although with a knife you can cut out small flowers, leaves or stars, they will look great.
When you have removed the mold with the dough from the oven, fill it with the apples, and cover it with the other dough, so that the edges are well sealed. Put your decoration on top as you like, and remember to make some cuts so that the cake "breathes" and cooks better.
Put it back in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until you see that the top crust is lightly browned. Let it rest.
Enjoy!
** You can eat it hot when it is freshly made, warm or cold. I like it best the next day, and heating it a little in the oven or in the microwave, so the cinnamon unfolds all its aroma and is a delight. You can keep it (if it doesn't run out before!) 2-3 days in the fridge in perfect conditions. **
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