A Fantastic Recipe for ‘Deep Dish’ Apple Pie

In winter apples are good for cooking and baking which is when we most feel like pies and puddings, with custard of course. A win-win situation as they say.

I have loved the name ‘Deep Dish’ Apple Pie since I started baking this pie years ago. It always sounds to me so … generous and inviting.

It’s from one of my scrap books of recipes and I’ve long forgotten where the cutting came from but it has all the tell-tale signs of a well-used recipe; battered corners, stains of melted butter and my usual handwritten comments.  This one has ‘fantastic’ written across the top. I hope you think so too.

‘Deep Dish’ Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pastry

• 3 cups plain flour
• pinch salt
• 250g butter - cut into small dice
• iced water

Filling

• 10 cooking apples - peeled, cored and cut into thinnish slices
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup water

Pastry method

1. Whiz flour, salt and butter in a food processor using ‘pulse’ action till like breadcrumbs
2. With motor running, add iced water slowly, till dough just forms a ball.
3. Divide dough into 2/3 and 1/3 pieces - flatten gently into rounds and wrap in plastic
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours
5. Roll larger piece and line a deep dish that has been well greased

Filling Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg
3. Place a layer of apple onto the base and sprinkle some of the sugar and spice over
4. Keep layering apples and sugar and spice till you finish with a sugar and spice layer
5. Roll out extra pastry to cover top of pie and set aside
6. Mix maple syrup, melted butter and water together and pour over apples
7. Cover with pastry, crimp edges, decorate and make a few slashes to help steam escape
8. Bake for 1/2 hr
9. Reduce oven to 170C and bake for one hour more or until deep golden brown

Serve with: cream, ice cream or custard.

Be generous, in keeping with the pie, and offer all three!

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