Bramley & Egremont Russet apple pie

I have been searching for what to me has been the holy grail of the perfect apple pie for more years than I care to remember.  I even confess to periods of complete obsession in my quest.

One memorable and utterly delicious apple pie I had was during a holiday to South Africa. We had lunch at a delightful restaurant, the Marmalade Cat in Darling, and their apple pie was probably the best I had ever tasted. I bravely asked for the recipe (the answer is always no until you ask after all!). It wasn’t made by the restaurant owners but they kindly put me in touch with the maker. Turns out she couldn’t give me the recipe in exact measure because she just made it by look and feel of her years of experience!  Not so good for me because I needed exactness.

I wasn’t going to be beaten and continued trying this and that as you can see from all these attempts …

That is until now.  This very recipe is just how I love my apple pie: deep, with a filling that has a balance of apple chunks and compote, that is not overly sweet, encased with super light and crispy pastry.

The key discovery was precooking the apple filling and using a combination of cooking and eating apples:

Putting raw fruit mixed with sugar into a pie results in a lot of excess liquid coming out of the fruit. That can only mean one thing – soggy bottoms.  And let’s face it, no one wants that! Also, I was never getting the deep pie I wanted because the raw fruit would cook down so much and the lid of the pastry would sink with it. The precooked apple is cooked to a dry consistency so no excess liquid and the compote like mixture doesn’t reduce in volume and holds its deep shape even on cutting the bake once it is baked.

A combination of cooking and eating apples produces a filling that has chunks of apple mixed in with a soft compote.  This is because the cooking apples break down more on cooking than the eatng apples that hold their shape more and give the chunky texture.

I have flavoured my pie with lemon and vanilla but you could always use cinnamon or cloves if that is what you prefer.

This is not a quick pie to make but well worth the effort.  Perfect for a weekend project or that cold, wet and rainy day where the only civilised place to be is in the kitchen.

Enjoy 🙂

How to make the apple pie in step by step instructions

First get your equipment ready

You will need a 25cm (10 inch) tart ring and a baking tray. Lightly grease them both and set aside.

Second, make the pastry

Put the icing sugar, flour and salt into a food processor and pulse briefly to combine.

Add the butter to the dry ingredients along with the zest.  Whizz to a fine crumb.

Add the vanilla and egg  and whizz until fully combined into a soft dough.

Turn out onto the work surface and shape into a ball then flatten into a disc approximately 2cm thick. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for an hour or until firm enough to roll out.

Make the apple filling

Peel and core the apples, cutting them into quarters, dicing them into approximately 2cm square pieces.

Place the chopped apple in the acidulated water to prevent them going brown.

When ready to cook the apples strain well in a sieve.

Put the butter into a wide sauté pan on a medium heat and once it is bubbling add the Russets, lemon zest and vanilla pod.  Cook on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes.

Add the Bamleys and sugar and stir so that the apples are evenly coated with sugar and butter.

Cook on a moderate heat for approx. 20 mins stirring occasionally without any lid until a dry mixture is achieved with some apples broken down and others still chunky. 

Pour the apple mixture onto a baking tray and leave to fully cool uncovered.

Roll out the pastry and line the tart ring

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line the tart ring.

Prick the base lightly with a fork.

Chill in the fridge for 30 mins and preheat the oven to 180C.

Line the pastry case with parchment or commercial grade cling film, fill with baking beans and bake blind at 180C for 10-20 minutes or until the bottom is semi dry.

Remove the beans from the pastry case and return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes until the bottom of the pastry case is completely dry.

Trim the top of the pastry flush to the tart ring edge.

Fill and bake the tart

Apply thin strips of raw pastry to the cooked edge of the tart.

Sprinkle the semolina over the base of the tart and spoon the apple filling into the tart case.

Roll out the remaining third of pastry into a disc and place onto the tart. Press the edges together and trim any excess with a sharp knife.

Cut a small crisscross in the centre of the lid to allow steam to escape then place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.

During this time, increase the oven temperature to 230C.

When ready to bake, brush the top of the pie with egg wash and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden.

Hints & Tips

You can make the apple filling ahead and keep it in the fridge for few days or freeze until you make the pie.  Once the apples are cooked, pour the apples onto a baking tray and seal with a double layer of cling film touching the surface of the apples so that no air pockets are inside to prevent the creation of any excess moisture. Once fully cooled place in the fridge until required if using in the next few days.  If freezing, put the cooled apple filling into an airtight container and freeze until required.  Fully defrost the filling before using.