A traditional apple pie with a delicious lemon infused pastry and filling.
For the pastry
225g Plain Flour
45g Caster Sugar
100g Butter, cold and cut into 1cm pieces
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Egg Yolk
3-4 tbsp Water
Pinch of Salt
For the filling
6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon (optional)
Zest of half a Lemon
3 tbsp Demerara Sugar
For Glaze topping
1 tbsp Water
For Lemon Syrup
20ml Lemon Juice
60ml Water
20g Caster Sugar
Sieve the flour into a large bowl.
Add the sugar, salt and zest and mix well with your finger tips.
Bit-by-bit using your finger tips, work the butter into the flour mix to form a crumb-like texture.
Add the egg yolk and, bit-by-bit add the water, mixing all the time until the mixture comes together in a ball.
Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill before rolling.
Cut the pastry in two, lightly flour the surface and roll out pastry not thicker than 1/4cm to fit a 23cm/9" pie tin/plate.
Reserve the other sheet for the top of the pie.
Prepare the apples and lemon zest as above.
Put into a large bowl with the sugar and toss (add the ground cinnamon if using).
Spread the sliced apple mixture evenly around the base.
Top with the remaining sheet of pastry, tuck it in at the sides and trim with a sharp knife.
To glaze
Mix the egg yolk and water together and, using a pastry brush, spread the mixture evenly on top of the sliced apple mixture.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for 35-40 minutes until cooked and golden brown on top.
For the Lemon Syrup
Put the lemon juice, water and sugar into a small pot and bring to the boil.
Boil for 3-4 minutes until sugar dissolves and serve hot or cold.
Serving Suggestion: Serve your pie with Crème Fraiche and Lemon Syrup.
